Trust Me
by WolfSpire
Summary: Ember is the new wizard at Fairy Tail, and she has a dark past. Some of the Dragon Slayer's don't trust her, but will they learn? Through the fights, battles with formidable enemies, and unexpected relationships, will Fairy Tail be able to trust Ember? *OCx? romance, battle sequences, and humor. May be adult themes. Please read and review :)*
1. Chapter 1

Days. Years. A lifetime.

That's how long it took her to come to the Wizard Guild Fairy Tail. The stone and mortar guild hall towered over her in all it's glory, recently built after the Guild's win in The Grand Magic Games. Fairy Tail was the city of Magnolia's pride and joy, this she knew. She also knew that they were very commonly a thorn in the side of Fiore's Magic Council.

Her life's mission was right in front of her face and yet still, she had trouble getting past the anxiety that vibrated her bones. Everything she wanted, everything she needed, was right through the threshold of the doors before her.

All she had to do was go inside.

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"I smell something funny." Natsu said, sniffing the air.

"It's probably you." Gray laughed.

"Cut it out will yah, I'm being serious!" Natsu yelled, the heat of his breath in Gray's face.

The guildmates, friends, that they shared the table with all laughed. This was normal for Gray and Natsu. They always kept each other on their toes, often times rumbling in a blur of ice and fire that would essentially cost the guild money for repairs. This time though Natsu's seriousness didn't allow for distractions. Lucy noticed this and it made her uncomfortable. Juvia could care less because all she payed attention to was Gray. Happy just sat by eating fish.

Normally Wendy and Carla would be joined at the table with them, but today her and Carla were out on a solo mission. Everyone was proud and excited at the growing Wendy had done. Once a shy and timid young girl, she was now a girl who embraced her amazing Sky Dragon Slayer powers.

Natsu's attention snapped to the entrance of the Guild Hall as the door opened and someone walked in, carrying the scent of a lonesome forest in with them. The smell of trodden dead leaves, the comforting musk of a mother wolfs fur, the smell of Earth after it rains. This smell may have only alerted Natsu and Gajeel, the strong nosed Dragon Slayers of Fairy Tail, but the magic energy that came with it caught the attention of the rest of the Guild. Cheerful banter turned to shallow whispers, and then to silence.

The girl stood in the doorway, her hood pulled over her head and her tattered cape hugging her frame. Peeking from under the hood were waves of deep brown hair and two braids the color of sapphire on each side of her face. At her back was a large death scythe, the blade sharp and the color of midnight, the staff made of aged elm tree wood.

The lustrous MiraJane broke the silence with her cheerful voice and a charming smile. She came out from behind the bar with her hands clasped together in front of her stomach.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail! How can I assist you?" Her smile never wavered.

The girl lifted her head and removed her hood. Her eyes, the color of burnt wood, never broke contact with Mira's. A scar went from her right eyebrow to the middle of her cheek in a straight line on the side of her face.

"I'm looking for Makarov." She said, in a voice hollow as a mountain cave.

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"Mmmmm."

She sat across from Makarov, the Master of Fairy Tail. He looked as if he was thinking deeply, and she kept wringing her hands together with nervousness. She had told this man everything about her. All her secrets, as dark and twisted as they may be. She fully expected to be turned away, shunned and judged for the life she was born into.

"So you want to be a member of Fairy Tail?" Makarov asked, not yet making eye contact with her.

"Yes. It's all I want. I have heard brilliant and terrifying stories of this Guild. Miraculous things even. I desire the camaraderie and bonds that are born here, and cherished. I understand if you cannot, and will not trust me." Her voice quivered.

"Child, I am not the type to judge the young by their pasts alone. Everyone deserves the opportunity to crawl into the light out of darkness."

"Th..Thank you, sir. I hope you can learn to trust me."

"I already do."

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"What is going on? What is taking so long? Who is that? Why is she here"

"Natsu, calm down."

Natsu was still in a skeptical mood, and somewhat suspicious. Gajeel seemed to share his feelings, standing close by with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"You two are acting ridiculous. She's just a girl that strolled in here, like so many others. No one reacted this way to Lucy." Cana chimed in, a barrel of alcohol in her lap.

Lucy shifted in her seat and blushed. Cana was right. When she had first showed up at Fairy Tail she was welcomed with open arms. Her transition from stranger to family happened rather quickly. That's how it was for most people. Except Juvia and Gajeel, but that was because of their history with Phantom Lord, the dark guild that tried to destroy Fairy Tail. Granted, now they were family like everyone else.

"It's her smell. She smells like the Earth after it rains." Natsu quipped.

"Petrichor. She smells like petrichor." Lexy chirped, excited to add into the discussion.

"You and yours words." Gajeel sniffed, rolling his eyes with a sly smirk on his face.

Lucy didn't understand the significance of someones smell, or if it even meant anything at all. Then again she wasn't a damn animal like Natsu. Gajeel wasn't even as much as an animal as him, even though he had a tendency to be more vicious. But one thing Lucy did understand was the sense of magical energy that a wizard gives off, and she couldn't put her finger on why the mysterious visitors magical energy was unnerving. It could possibly be because it had been a long time since Fairy Tail had to accept a new member to the family. But it could also be something else. Either way, Lucy was willing to give anyone and everyone a chance. She had seen first hand in the past that even those who may seem evil are actually good at heart.

"I think you are over reacting Natsu. Then again, you always overdo it." Lucy giggled.

"Aye!" Happy added. The tiny blue cat, a magical race of flying cat called an exceed just like Carla and PantherLily, usually always sided with his best friend Natsu. But at this moment he just so happened to agree with Lucy.

"Hey Happy! Who's friend are you anyways?" Natsu growled, turning to his tiny friend and making the kitty jump.

"Don't take your tension out on Happy!" Lucy barked.

Gray started laughing, which caused Juvia to laugh as well, and soon others joined in. The tension in the air started to thin itself out. Everyone started chattering happily again and drinking with friends. The distraction seemed to be over. People were getting over it.

Then the sound of Master Makarov clearing his throat echoed through the Guild Hall, and everyone stopped what they were doing to pay attention to the Master.

Makarov stood by her side looking intently out at his children. She looked towards the ground and shuffled her feet. The eyes, so many eyes, and they were all on her. Most of them judging she assumed. Most of them not liking what they see. Not accepting. She was used to this, but she was determined to change those negative feelings that surrounded her into positive ones. This was the beginning of a new chapter. A chapter she could write for herself.

"This young lady is Ember ElmSpire. She is our newest member to Fairy Tail. She is now family. I am sure you will all accept her as easily as you do all our new recruits." Makarov announced, a goofy grin playing across his face.

Natsu stood up on top of the table he was sitting at, his lifes fire burning in his eyes. Gajeel stood at his side, his stare as hard as his iron scales. Everyone else looked on confused, but also uncomfortable because the dragon slayers were acting in such a weird fashion. This automatically made them untrusting, and Ember could sense that, and it made her sad. She just wanted to be accepted. She wanted these people to be her friends. But she could see that wouldn't come so easy, as expected.

"Who IS she? I don't like her scent!" Natsu yelled.

"She's a wizard Natsu! Like all of you." Makarov answered, his goofy grin non wavering.

"My scent? What is that supposed to mean?" Ember asked embarrassed. Did she smell? She had been on the road for a long time. Did she over look her cleanliness?

"You smell like wet Earth! And dead leaves! I don't like it!" Natsu answered.

"It is quite a different smell." Gajeel sneered.

"Yeah...well...Your fire dragon smell is like the sulfur fire pits of hell and it burns my nose! And YOU, you smell like spilled blood, it's like sucking on metal bolts!" Ember yelled back at the dragon slayers.

Everyone in the Guild Hall went silent. Ember quickly curled into herself. She hadn't meant to lash out so quickly, and now she felt like a bully. She didn't even know if what she said was an accurate way of how the dragon slayers smelled. She just said the first thing that popped into her head.

From over in the corner a laugh erupted, smooth like honey and deep. Then another followed, this one bone chilling and somewhat creepy. Ember looked over at who was laughing and saw a beautiful brunette with glasses and curves, and a man with a metal helmet over his eyes and his tongue hanging out of his mouth. They sat at the bar with drinks in their hands, and they laughed genuine gut wrenching laughs. The other guild members seemed to roll their eyes and generally ignore them.

"That was a good one! Come over here girl, my name is Evergreen, and this is Bixslow. You can join us, if only for your comedy!" The brunette laughed.

"Yeah, ignore those punks! Hang out with us and my babies!" the man said, his voice as bone rattling as his laugh.

"Uhm, I'm...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lash out like that. I..." Ember stammered.

"Don't apologize, they lashed out first! Put it behind you and come over here." Evergreen smiled, sipping her drink.

"That's right, don't apologize." A firm, and new voice, reached the ears of everyone in the Guild Hall.

Walking straight and narrow toward Ember and Makarov was the scarlet haired Erza. Ember could feel the power she carried with her. The famous power that was known all over Fiore, and even farther. Titania.

"Erza, welcome back. This is Ember, our new recruit." said Makarov, nodding at Erza.

"Welcome Ember. Don't let the boys bother you. They like to be dramatic. I am sure you will fit in fine here." Erza smiled, and that smile melted Ember's shakiness. She already started to feel more comfortable.

No one was really paying attention to them anymore now that Erza had shown her acceptance. Her rank in the guild preceded her it seemed, her friends following her lead. Ember knew they didn't accept her yet, but she was determined to get in their good graces.

After Erza walked off to join her friends at the table the rosey haired Natsu was standing on, Ember let out a sigh and decided to go join Evergreen and Bixslow at the bar. She was not picky about making friends. Besides, all friends were good friends, right? It would be nice to have someone to talk to and learn the ropes from anyways. After all, this was Embers first guild.

MiraJane poured Ember a drink with a smile, and she knew the smile was genuine. That MiraJane, as friendly and warm as her reputation lead to believe. Even though her first day in Fairy Tail seemed to get off to a rough start, Ember had faith that with time everything would get better. That was really all she could hope for.


	2. Chapter 2

"So, you have never been in a guild before?" Evergreen asked, shocked.

"No. I've just been on my own traveling." Ember answered shyly.

Ember sat at the bar in Fairy Tail's Guild Hall with Evergreen, Bickslow, and Cana. The presence of these wizards made her nervous, but their kindness towards her made her mind at ease in a way as well. The conflicting emotions she felt on such an eventful day did nothing but confuse her. Being so used to isolation and always being on the move, sitting in a building surrounded by potential friends and teammates was a totally new experience for her. But the shock she could see on their faces about how she had never been in a Guild before, well, that made her embarrassed. She was an adult after all, not a child, and she had been on her own for so long. She worried that her inexperience would prove to be a major weakness in such a powerful and well known Guild.

Evergreen ordered them a fresh round of drinks. Ember had lost count at this point of how many alcoholic beverages she had consumed. In fact, she was beginning to feel a little funny. Her limbs felt like limp noodles, and her mind felt fuzzy. Also, it felt very easy to smile. Cana had drank more than anyone, but she seemed completely composed. This was intimidating to Ember. Actually, all three of these wizards were intimidating to her. And these were the people being nice to her. Forget about the ones she could feel burning holes into her back with stares.

"Ok, so, we are going to have to explain a lot to you then." Cana sighed. "What a pain in the ass."

"Really Cana? Don't be so rude!" Evergreen sneered, and then giggled.

"Sorry Ember, I forget sometimes that new people may not take my attitude the right way." Cana smiled with a wink.

"It's okay. Really." Ember smiled back.

Bickslow guzzled down the rest of his drink and let out a long 'aaaahhhhh', with his tongue hanging out. His Fairy Tail Guild Mark was black on his tongue. Ember wondered if that felt weird at all when he had originally got it. When Makarov applied the Guild Mark to her chest right beneath her collarbone, she felt a slight tingling sensation. She could only imagine that sensation being stronger on a tongue. He slammed down his mug and turned to the three women that sat around him.

"Well ladies, I am off on a job. Take care of our little girl now will you?" Bickslow laughed, and then he quickly left.

"He's…..kind of creepy." Ember giggled.

"Hey now! He may be creepy, but our Bickslow is one strong wizard!" Evergreen interjected.

"What kind of magic does he use?"

"He can control souls. Human souls. Those little 'babies' that fly around and annoyingly repeat everything he says? Those are souls put into a vessel. If you ever see his eye begin to glow green, don't look at them. That's his power at work."

"Wow! That's pretty crazy! And scary. Now he's even creepier."

"Well, what do you expect? He is a member of the Thunder Legion!"

"Thunder Legion?"

Evergreen then went on to explain to Ember what the Thunder Legion was. The group consisted of herself, Bickslow, and another wizard named Freed. They were a strong force to be reckoned with and they were the personal body guards of the S-class wizard Laxus, who also happened to be a Thunder Dragon Slayer. This information caused Ember to perk up a bit. Another Dragon Slayer? She knew about the fire dragon Natsu Dragneel, the iron dragon Gajeel Redfox, and the sky dragon Wendy Marvel, but she knew nothing of a thunder dragon!

"A thunder dragon? Really?" Ember exclaimed.

"Well, he isn't a first generation. So he wasn't raised by a dragon!" Cana shouted. The alcohol was now definitely having an effect on her persona.

"What does that mean?"

"Well, first generation dragon slayers are raised and taught by an actual living dragon, or so they say. Laxus is a second generation dragon slayer, this means that he had a dragon slayer Lacryma planted inside his body to grant him these powers. This does not mean he isn't as strong, but there are differences. OH and theres a third generation now! Sting and Rogue of Sabertooth belong to this group. These are dragon slayers that were raised and taught by dragons AND have a lacryma implanted into them!"

"Oh...OH...wow. I only thought there was the first generation."

"So you believe in dragons?"

"Absolutely. Is that weird?"

Cana and Evergreen shook their heads, a dark and sad look taking over their faces. This confused Ember. Two seconds ago these women were strong presences that intimidated her, and now the looks on their faces actually made her feel sympathy towards them. And maybe even a slight feeling of pity. She finished her drink and set her mug down on the bar.

"We've seen one." Cana sighed.

"What?" Ember chirped excitedly. But the looks Evergreen and Cana gave her were anything but excited.

"Acnologia. On Tenrou Island. That's why we were missing for 7 years. Pretty much." Evergreen said, and then looked away.

"Acnologia? You saw Acnologia?" Ember jumped out of her chair.

Cana and Evergreen were taken back by Embers outburst, and their reaction made her check herself and sit back down. She cleared her throat and apologized.

"Sorry. I….I really like dragons." She said quietly.

"It's okay Ember. But this dragon wasn't the nice kind that raised Natsu and the others. This dragon was a killer." Cana sighed.

"Yeah. I'm sorry. I know that."

After refraining from drinking for some time, Ember started to feel normal again. Well, somewhat normal. She was extremely lethargic, but she at least had a clear head. Cana seemed to bounce back pretty well, and was already drinking again. Evergreen was resting her head on the bar and making groaning noises.

Ember looked around the Guild Hall and took in what she saw. Two older men, one with a mustache and the other with a pipe in his mouth, sat at a table laughing and drinking together. Mira leaned over the bar talking to Erza, both of them with smiles on their faces. Three talking cats, a blue one and white one and black one with a scar over his eye, stood on top of a table surrounded by the people that didn't seem to like her being there. At that table the rose haired Natsu argued with the shirtless Gray, the blonde and buxom Lucy chatted with a sweet looking girl that had short hair the color of Mira's, the girl with hair blue like the ocean watched Gray with admiration, while another blue haired girl had her face buried in a book, the steely eyed Gajeel sitting close by with a less than happy look on his face. Ember knew these people were friends. And she wanted them to be her friends too. All of them. She was appreciative of Cana, Bickslow, and Evergreen. Their kindness had really made all the difference, as did Erza's on her arrival. But the desire to befriend the dragon slayers and their friends stirred in her gut. Their power, their drive, their aura. She wanted to be close to it. Dragon slayers had always intrigued her.

In the corner of her eye she noticed a man in face paint standing in front of a board with a bunch of flyers tacked to it. She squinted and tried reading them, but they were too far away for her to make anything of them. She turned in her seat back to Cana and Evergreen.

"Hey, what is that board over there?" She asked.

"OH! How could we forget!" Cana exclaimed and shoved Evergreens shoulder. Evergreen just let out a groan.

"That's the job board!" Cana smiled.

"What?" Ember asked. A job board?

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"So Lucy, how are your spirits doing?" Lisanna asked with a smile from ear to ear.

"They are doing great!" Lucy smiled back.

Lisanna was Mira and Elfman's little sister. Thought to be dead years ago she arrived back to Earthland with the rest of the wizards from Edolas. Lisanna knew everyone loved her and welcomed her back, but sometimes she felt that they hadn't fully comprehended that she was back. So she was always trying to conversate and bond with her guild mates. The thing that bothered her the most though was that Natsu didn't seem to want to be as close to her as they had been before she disappeared. Before he thought she was dead. Lisanna thought they had something special, but now she was beginning to think she had been wrong. She couldn't help but feel like Lucy replaced her in a way, but this didn't cause he to be rude to Lucy. She liked Lucy.

Lucy smiled across the table at Natsu and Gray. They were still bickering as usual. Juvia not even caring about the annoyance of it. She obviously just liked when Gray's shirt came off, inwardly hoping his pants came next. Lucy laughed and turned to Levy. Levy was probably Lucy's best friend in the guild. They had become quick friends when she first arrived, bonding over the fact that Levi loved reading, and Lucy loved writing.

"Levy! Join in the conversation!" Lucy laughed.

"I'm sorry Lucy. This book is just really interesting." Levy said, sounding distant because she was still reading.

"What is that book anyways?" Gajeel huffed.

"It's a book on the significance of scent."

Everyone at the table looked at her. Levy, feeling everyones eyes on her, looked up from her book. Even the exceeds, Happy, Carla, and Pantherlily, were paying attention to her. She smirked, knowing that they had realized the significance of her reading this book.

"Scent? Why are you reading that?" Lucy asked.

"Well, Gajeel and Natsu claimed to not like that Ember girls scent. We don't notice it because our noses are not as strong as theirs is. So I wanted to get some insight myself. Maybe figure out why they are acting the way they are about her."

"They have books that explain that stuff?" Natsu's eyes widened.

"They have books for everything, silly Natsu" Happy chirped.

"So, did you find anything?" Lucy asked.

"Hmm well, not really. Scent affects individuals differently. Where one person may feel uncomfortable by someones scent, another person may feel safe because of it. There seems to be no significance based on what she supposedly smells like either. The guys say she smells like a forest, more or less. There's no negative connotations of such a scent. No hidden meaning of it."

"Bullshit." Gajeel sneered.

"It's not bullshit! Stop being a jerk Gajeel." Levy laughed.

"There is something wrong with that scent. I know it! I'm telling you." Natsu huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No there isn't, not in the way you believe. Maybe her scent reminds you guys of something that brings on negative feelings. Something in the back of your head. Or maybe it's new to you, and it makes you uncomfortable because it's so unfamiliar." Levy said. Everyone seemed to ponder this thought.

"That makes sense. I think you guys are over reacting." Gray nodded.

"You wanna fight Gray? I will grill you like a fresh caught fish!" Natsu yelled.

"Aye!" obviously Happy.

"Listen here hothead, get off my ass before I freeze yours!"

The girls laughed. Just another day in Fairy Tail.

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"Ok so, these are jobs. The flyer explains what the client wants, and this is the amount of pay you will receive for completing it. For example, this one is for 10,000 jewel." Cana pointed at a flyer on the board.

"So this is how I make money while in the guild?" Ember asked.

"How did you make money before?"

"Odd jobs for people here and there on my travels. Enough for food and maybe lodging once in awhile. Or for new clothes to replace old ones."

"Jeez woman. You're going to feel rich soon enough. Anyways, S-class missions are reserved for S-class wizards, like Erza and Laxus. And my dad. You can only go on one with Makarovs approval, and you need an S-class wizard to go with you. These are the really complicated missions."

"Ok, so I shouldn't take any of those I presume."

"No, unless you have Erza or someone with you."

"Got it."

"So, you want to take a job?" a deep voice said coming from behind them.

Ember turned around and saw a tall blonde man with a lightning shaped scar over his eye. She touched her own scar, because his was so similar. She wondered how he got it. Over his ears were clunky metal headphones, and he wore a fur lined coat over his shoulders without his arms in the sleeves. In fact, he was dressed in rather nice clothing to begin with.

"I'm Laxus. I am sure you have heard of me." He smiled.

"Yes." Ember smiled back.

"So, you want to take a job?" He asked again.

"Actually, yeah, I would like to. But I don't know if it's a good idea for me to go on my own."

"You won't. Tomorrow morning meet me and Evergreen at the train station, you will come with us."

Laxus walked away. Ember watched after him, basking in the energy of his magic and smiling from his kindness. She couldn't believe someone of such a high rank in Fairy Tail had invited her out on a job. She was starting to feel like maybe everything would turn out okay after all. She looked over at Cana with a smile. She just shrugged, and then walked away as well.


	3. Chapter 3

Ember arrived at the Magnolia train station right on time. Her scythe on her back, she was prepared to go out and work. Of course, she had no idea what the job consisted of. All she could hope for was that it didn't require her to use much magic. One of the biggest insecurities Ember possessed was that of her magic power. It wasn't a skill she liked to show off like a lot of other wizards. She would much rather settle things without the use of it. When she was traveling, she never used magic on jobs, just normal skills and wits.

She saw Evergreen and Laxus standing near the train door, obviously waiting for her to show up. She hoped she wasn't actually late. She walked over to join them and they smiled at her in greeting. Ember looked nervously at the train.

"Uhm. Do we have to take a train?" She asked with a shy smile.

"Why? Are you scared of trains?" Evergreen laughed.

"Actually, kind of. I always traveled on foot. I'm not a fan of other transport."

"Well too bad. I get motion sickness and I still do it. Buck up kid. Oh, and don't mention the motion sickness to anyone." Laxus replied, and then he got on the train.

Ember sighed. Her first time on a job and she just had to get on a train. How embarrassing. At least she didn't have motion sickness. Evergreen glanced over at her once more and then followed Laxus onto the train. Ember took a deep breath and followed.

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"Oooooh I don't like this…."

Ember sat with her head in between her legs and her eyes closed tight. Her heart was pounding out of her chest and every nerve in her body was twitching. She refused to look up. Anytime she looked out the window and the reality of being on a train hit her she felt like she was going to vomit. Evergreen sat across from her next to Laxus, who might as well have been unconscious. His face was sweating and he could barely open his eyes. Every now and then he would lurch as if he was going to throw up.

"This is ridiculous. The both of you. I mean it's bad enough big bad Laxus has motion sickness. And now we have you over there shaking in your boots like the train is going to crash." Evergreen scowled with a roll of her eyes.

Ember just groaned sadly. This was not a very good first impression. Now Evergreen and Laxus probably thought she was weak and would never invite her on a job again. If she couldn't complete a job with two other wizards, how was she going to do it by herself?

Finally the train stopped and it was time for the three wizards to get off at their destination. Ember and Laxus practically ran off the train, Evergreen nonchalantly following behind and sucking her teeth at them.

Laxus ran off to a patch of grass and bent over, letting out one more lurch and wiping the sweat from his brow. He got over his motion sickness quickly and stood up straight, ready for business. Ember stopped running and sighed happily at the feeling of the ground under her feet. The unmoving solid Earth. She closed her eyes and took in a breath of fresh air. She felt like herself again.

"Did you end up having motion sickness too?" Laxus asked her.

"No. I was just incredibly anxious and uncomfortable. I am totally fine now!" Ember said happily.

Laxus grunted with a nod and started walking deeper into the small town. The girls followed close behind, taking in the smells and sounds. The smell of freshly baked bread reached their noses from a bakery and they 'aahhh'ed dreamily. Children ran around the streets giggling and playing with toy swords and stuffed animals. Some people greeted them with smiles, and others refused to even acknowledge them.

Laxus stopped them in front of a small shop with some fruit in baskets outside the front window. He walked inside and a bell rang when the door opened. At the counter was a friendly looking old woman in an apron. Her blueish gray hair a jumble of curls. When she saw Laxus her smile lit up the entire shop.

"Laxus my boy! Long time no see!" She squealed. The old woman grabbed a cane and hobbled out from behind the counter.

"Mrs. Oli, nice to see you. I saw that you had a job that needed to be done." Laxus said.

"Oh yes yes. You see, there seems to be a thief targeting my store. I do my inventory every night before I leave, and then when I get back I am missing things. Nothing too extreme, no need to destroy things and cause a panic. But I would like you to catch him for me."

"Not a problem. Me and these lovely ladies will catch your theif."

"Oh thank you thank you. Such a sweetheart you are."

"Sweetheart eh? Yeah, right." Evergreen laughed as they left the shop.

A thief. Maybe this job would be easy after all, Ember thought. Maybe she wouldn't even have to use her magic. Even better. She was now in high spirits, and she followed Laxus and Evergreen onto the shop buildings rooftop with a bounce in her step.

"We will be camping out here until nightfall. Then we will watch for the thief, and catch him." Laxus instructed.

"Oh great, how eventful. More like boring." Evergreen sighed, along with her signature eyeroll.

"Hey now Evergreen, it shouldn't be too bad!" Ember chirped.

"I would much rather be doing something else!" Evergreen huffed.

"Like what? Hanging out with that oaf of a man, Elfman?" Laxus laughed, a full hearted laugh right from his gut.

"He is a man! One hell of a man!" Evergreen yelled in defense.

Laxus continued to laugh, but Evergreen didn't find it so funny. Ember on the other hand found it quite comical. Evergreens defensive reaction seemed out of character for her, and made her look kind of silly. She assumed that Elfman was Evergreens boyfriend of some sort. Of course Ember knew who Elfman was. He was MiraJanes younger brother, with the magic power of Beast Soul. She saw him perform at the Grand Magic Games. He looked damn manly to her.

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Nightfall took forever to come. It felt as if the sun decided it didn't want to go to sleep, choosing to bask the world in it's wonderful light for all eternity. But that's only because of how absolutely boring sitting on the rooftop was. No time consuming conversation was to be had, everyone just kept to themselves. Ember had fallen asleep at some point, and by the time she woke up it was finally night time. The moon hung in a crescent up in the satin sky, the stars speckled about like glitter. There was a slight cool breeze in the air, and it caused Embers skin to erupt in goosebumps every time it made an appearance.

Laxus kneeled at the edge of the roof, looking down at the entrance to the shop while still being hidden. He scanned the street with his eyes, but he couldn't hear anything down on the silent street. This was because of the music blaring in his headphones. Evergreen hummed and inspected her fingernails in the corner. Every once in a while shaking her fan out to full size and then closing it again. Ember just sat in silence, tapping her foot.

Laxus suddenly tensed up and appeared more alert. This caused Evergreen and Ember to sit up straight and pay more attention. They creeped across the roof to kneel next to Laxus. Down on the street they could see a shadowy figure slowly making it's way closer to the front of the store.

"We make no moves until we know for sure if it's the thief." Laxus whispered. The girls nodded.

As the figure got closer and closer, the wizards got battle ready. Then the figure stopped moving. All Ember could hear was her own heart beating and the blood rushing through her veins. The silence was uncomfortable. The tension finally broke when the figure began moving again, and they walked right up to the entrance of the store. Yes, this indeed had to be the thief.

"Ok Ever, this is all you." Laxus smiled.

Evergreen stood up and in the blink of an eye jumped off the roof. As she jumped a firing squad of what looked like falling stars rained down onto the street. They exploded as they hit the ground. Ember didn't have a chance to see if Evergreen had safely landed in all the chaos. Laxus jumped off the roof after the explosions stopped and Ember followed, grabbing her scythe from it's holster at her back and landing safely on the ground.

The three wizards stood around the shadowed figure as the dust from Evergreens explosions started to settle. All three were ready to take action if necessary. But as the dust cleared it became more and more obvious that there was nothing more that needed to be done.

Kneeling on the ground, crying and shaking, was a young boy around the age of 12. His clothes were in tatters and tears streamed down his dirty face, leaving a clean mark as a trail. His hair was greasy and hung in front of his eyes. He didn't look up. He didn't say anything.

"Man. I didn't expect this." Laxus grumbled and crossed his arms.

"No. I feel bad hitting him now." Evergreen shrugged.

"Hey kid. Listen. You won't get in trouble, just don't steal from this store anymore. Got it? If we have to come back, we won't be so nice next time." he said.

The boy nodded furiously, but still did not look up. Laxus made a disapproving sound and then began to walk off towards the train station. Evergreen and Ember followed.

"So what now?" Ember asked.

"We go home." Laxus answered.

"Yup. Just go home. No pay or anything. This was a bust." Evergreen sighed.

"Yeah, that sometimes happens. Better luck next time." Laxus said.

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Natsu, Lucy, and Happy walked into the Guild Hall stretching their arms above their heads. They had just come back from a job, and their pockets were filled with jewels. Lucy smiled, knowing that she was getting closer and closer to making her rent that month. Happy and Natsu rushed over to Mira, food being the only thing on their mind. Lucy spotted Levy sitting with Lisanna and Juvia and walked over to join them.

"Hey!" Lucy chirped, sitting down next to Lisanna.

"Hey Lucy." The girls all said in unison.

Levy was once again, reading some sort of book. Lucy figured it must be something important since Juvia and Lisanna were sitting by silently, as if waiting for her to say something. Lucy sat there, looking between all three girls. She furrowed her eyebrows and tapped her fingers on the table.

"Sooooo…" she cooed.

"We are waiting for Levy to find something." Lisanna whispered.

"Juvia is very curious. Have you seen Gray?" Juvia said in that weird third person speech she always did.

"No I haven't seen Gray today. I think he is out with Erza, the group split up today since most of the jobs are smaller and not as much money. We each make more if we split up the team. And what exactly is Levy looking for?"

Juvia sighed and looked down at the table. When Gray wasn't around she always seemed to be gloomy. At least it didn't rain around her all the time anymore. Lisanna moved closer to Lucy and leaned close. Lucy backed off a little bit, not understanding the closeness.

"She's looking to see if she can find any information on that new girl" Lisanna whispered.

"Why do you keep whispering? And why are you still looking for information on this girl?!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Because. If Natsu and Gajeel think there is something not right about her, then they are probably right." Lisanna shrugged.

"I don't think so. I think we should at least give her a chance. Maybe ask her ourselves. I'm sure she will tell us something. I don't think we have anything to worry about. You are giving Natsu and Gajeel too much credit. They are just silly animals." Lucy giggled.

"Animals sense things other people can't. That's why I believe they may be right." Lisanna said in a low voice.

Lucy sighed and nodded. Lisanna did have the magic of Animal Soul. Maybe she understood the dragon slayers a little better on a natural animalistic level. But Lucy still thought that the girls were taking it a bit too far. And that of course Gajeel and Natsu were overdoing it. That was typical of them. And of course Levy would follow anything Gajeel said. Just like Lisanna would follow anything Natsu said. Lucy rested her head on the table and closed her eyes. Maybe Levy would find something eventually.

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Ember, Evergreen, and Laxus arrived back in Magnolia really late, and they were all really tired. The train had not been running so they had to travel on foot. It wasn't a long trip, but after waiting around all day their energy was low to begin with. After the adrenaline from thinking they caught a thief had left their systems, they all started to crash and get droopy eyed.

Laxus didn't even say goodnight, he just made his way home. Evergreen patted Ember on the shoulder and grunted what she assumed was supposed to be "goodnight" and then disappeared into the distance. Ember stood there for a few moments. She for some reason had totally forgot that she didn't have anywhere to go to sleep. She hadn't made any money yet so she couldn't rent a place. And she wasn't close enough to anyone to ask them if she could sleep over for a little while. She probably wouldn't ask that anyways, but it would have been comforting to have the option.

She sighed and turned around, walking slowly and dragging her feet. She was headed towards the woods right outside Magnolia. That's where she would sleep. She always felt comfortable in the woods, and safe. Amongst the trees and birds is where she had slept many times in her travels. Besides, it wasn't very cold out, so sleeping out under a tree with the light of the moon overhead wouldn't be so bad.

Ember picked out a nice shady tree so that the bright morning sun wouldn't burn her skin while she slept. She leaned against the tree and looked around. She could hear the crickets singing their songs. The lights of lightning bugs lit up and died out all over the place, making the woods look like the night sky. The grass was already a little damp with dew, but it wasn't enough to bother her. She grabbed her scythe off her back and held it out in front of her parallel to the ground.

"Come out Nunu." She whispered.

The scythe lit itself up in a frenzy of dancing orange and gold flames. Within seconds it was no longer a scythe. Instead, standing in front of Ember was a large wolf looking creature with fur the color of storm clouds. Black spots blended together on it's paws and tail, a few freckling it's snout. Horns like those of a ram stuck out of the top of the wolf-like beasts head next to it's ears. It's tail wagged. It's tongue lolled out of it's mouth, and it licked Embers face.

"Nunu, no licking." She giggled.

The wolf-like beast was actually a hell hound. Hell hounds were not found just anywhere, in fact they were rare. Ember was given Nunu as a young child, so she grew up with him. No one knew of his existence except for herself. Everyone just thought her scythe was just a run of the mill death scythe. No one would ever guess it turned into a hell hound.

Nunu rubbed up against Ember, his fur instantly warming her and shielding her from the breeze. She buried her face into his fur and curled herself up against his immense size. It wasn't long before she fell asleep.

Ember woke up because the sun was shining too brightly into her eyes. She rubbed her knuckles into them, causing her to see spots upon opening. Nunu perked up his head and started panting, his tongue hanging out his mouth and making it look like he was smiling. Ember smiled and pet his cheeks, pulling on the fur affectionately as she cooed at him. He let out a deep bark and jumped up.

"I'm sorry buddy, but you know the deal." Ember pouted at her four legged friend.

Nunu sat down on his haunches and let out a low growl. Ember held out her hand and in a burst of flames Nunu turned from hell hound to scythe, and was back in Ember's grip. She let out a sigh and strapped the scythe to her back. It was hard for her to have to hide her longest and closest friend all the time. But she knew that his appearance would not be easy for just anyone to accept, let alone for her to explain.

She got up off the ground and brushed herself off. She began to make her way to the Guild Hall, hoping that there would be some sort of job opportunity today. She didn't want to sleep out in the woods forever.

As soon as she walked into the Guild Hall, Cana was calling her name and waving her over. Not many people were present yet, because it was still kind of early in the morning. But regardless, Cana already had a drink in her hand. And Mira looked bright eyed and bushy tailed.

"Drinking already Cana? It's pretty early." Ember smiled.

"Oooooh so you're getting ballsy with what you say now huh? Did Ever rub off on you?" Cana laughed.

"No no. I am just playing around."

"I know. Sit. Join me. Tell me how yesterday went."

Ember sat at the stool next to Cana and started telling her about the job she went on with Evergreen and Laxus the day before. Mira came over to join them and listen to the story. They laughed when Ember told them about the train, but she didn't mention Laxus's motion sickness. They were laughing at her fear. Ember didn't get offended by this, because she knew how silly it really was. They didn't laugh at the fact that the thief turned out to be a poor child who just needed food that he couldn't buy himself. She could see the sympathy in their eyes, and it made her feel good to know that she had caring people to talk to. She liked the Thunder Legion, they had been good to her, but they weren't exactly sensitive to the foils of others. She also did not tell them that she spent the night in the woods.

"It always sucks when a job doesn't get to be completed properly and you can't take the reward." Cana sighed.

"Yeah. But I think it's a great thing that our wizards won't take the reward when things like this happen. It's noble. Other guilds probably would take the money without hesitation. But this is Fairy Tail!" Mira smiled.

"I actually admire that Laxus didn't claim the reward. He seems so hard, but I think deep down he has a good heart." Ember smiled.

Cana and Mira both nodded and smiled back. Ember asked Mira if she could get a mug of water, and Mira got it for her hastily. The girls sat around and chatted for what seemed like forever when a soft and sweet voice came from behind them.

They turned around and standing there was a young girl with royal blue pigtails that almost reached the floor. It was the sky dragon slayer Wendy, and next to her stood her white exceed Carla. The tiny cat looked up at Cana, Mira, and Ember as if they were buildings towering above her.

"Hi Wendy! Good morning!" Mira chirped.

"Good morning MiraJane, Cana. I came over because I wanted to introduce myself to Ember!" Wendy smiled.

"Really?" Ember was shocked. After how Natsu and Gajeel treated her, she expected the same of Wendy. But here she was, smiling with rosy cheeks and holding out her tiny hand.

Cana and Mira smiled brightly like proud parents. They nodded at Ember as if to say it was okay to shake Wendy's hand. Ember reached out and grabbed it, shaking it gently. She couldn't help herself from smiling like a goon. One of the dragon slayers actually wanted to talk to her! She didn't count Laxus because he wasn't raised by a dragon, he just had a lacryma placed inside him. She was ecstatic. She finally had someone to talk to about dragons that wouldn't think she was weird.

"I'm so glad to meet you Wendy!" Ember exclaimed.

"Same here! I find you very interesting!" the little girl squeaked.

"Really? I kind of expected you to feel the same way as Natsu and Gajeel. They don't seem to like me very much. Something about my scent."

"I like the way you smell. It reminds me of being in the forest with Grandine, the dragon that raised me."

"Aw that's so sweet. You will have to tell me about your dragon sometime!"

"Absolutely!"

"Sorry to interupt, but Wendy, we need to go look at the job bored." Carla interjected.

"Yes Carla! Of course! Nice meeting you Ember! See you later Cana and Mira!"

And with that Wendy trotted off with Carla to go find a job. Ember turned around on her seat and looked at Cana and Mira, both of which were still smiling. They held up their hands for a high five. Ember laughed and high fived the both of them. Finally someone else was warming up to her. If every day progressed in this fashion, Ember thought that soon she would finally be accepted by this guild as one of their own.

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Natsu and Happy walked into the Guild Hall with Lucy close behind them. They were all wide awake and ready for the day. But first, Natsu and Happy wanted breakfast.

"Miraaa! Can we get some breakfast!" Natsu called over to the bar.

"Of course guys!" Mira called back.

Natsu noticed Ember sitting at the bar with Cana. He glared at her and let out a huff. Happy copied him, even though he had no reason to feel the same. He just generally followed what Natsu did. As his best friend of course!

Lucy came to stand next to Natsu and followed his heated look to the bar, seeing that he was glaring at Ember. She sighed heavily and then looked at Natsu with an even dirtier look.

"Seriously Natsu? Still? There has yet to be any evidence for your stupid negative feelings!" Lucy said through gritted teeth.

"I don't care." Natsu said, simply.

He turned and walked over to a table, sitting down with a plop. He stared out in front of him as if in deep thought, but Lucy couldn't even begin to think of what he could be thinking about. Deep thought wasn't something Natsu very often participated in. Most of the times when he was in deep thought, he would end up snapped out of it with a really idiotic idea. So Lucy sat down across from him and thought nothing of it.

"Did you see Gray or Erza on your way here?" He asked her.

"No. Why?"

"I want to go out on a job today. A big one. All of us as a team."

"That would be wonderful!I'll go look at the board while you wait for your food!"

Lucy got up and went over to the board, Natsu watching her as she went. He noticed that Wendy and Carla were over there too, and he thought maybe they could go on the job as well. The more the merrier. He let out a sigh and drummed his fists on the table. His stomach growled loudly. Then so did Happy's. Natsu looked over at the blue cat and smiled a big pointy toothed grin. Happy laughed.

"Is Natsu here yet?"

Natsu turned his attention to the voice that spoke his name and saw Makarov at the bar with Cana and Ember. He sneered. Why was he asking her if he was here? He was never around her, not by choice. He saw her nod over in his direction and Makarov looked over at him and smiled. He smiled back. Makarov turned back to Ember and said something, and a look of confusion appeared on her face. Then they were both walking towards him, Ember walking slowly behind Makarov as if she didn't want to startle Natsu. He refused to look at her.

"Good morning Natsu." Makarov said cheerfully.

"What's up Gramps?" Natsu asked.

"Well heres the thing. There's this job, and I need you to do it."

"Sure thing gramps. I was just telling Lucy how I wanted us to all go on a team mission."

"Uhm, well, thing is Natsu…...you will be doing the job with Ember."

"WHAT?" Both Natsu and Ember screeched in unison.

Ember looked at Makarov and Natsu in horror, her eyes going back and forth between the both of them. Natsu looked at the Master so angrily that fire was coming off of his fists. Happy cowered on the table, and everyone else present in the guild hall was now looking in their direction.

"What are you getting on about here gramps?" Natsu snarled.

"I….I….don't think this is a good idea." Ember laughed nervously.

"I don't care what either of you kids think. It's the job. Just do it." Makarov laughed.

"No WAY. I am NOT working with her!" Natsu snarled even more.

"Yeah, hey, yeah. I can't work with someone who hates me so much for no reason." Ember sighed.

Makarov looked at both of the wizards and then began to grow in size. His eyes glowed with the light of the sun and his muscles began to bulge. Ember stumbled back and clasped her hands at her chest right above her heart. Her eyes bugged out of her head. Natsu's fire instantly went out and he sat his ass on the bench and just looked at Makarov wide eyed.

"YOU WILL DO IT BECAUSE YOUR MASTER SAYS SO! GOT IT?" his voice boomed throughout the entire guild hall.

Natsu gulped and nodded submissively. Happy nodding as well. When Makarov turned to Ember she nodded her head quickly, her mouth still hanging open in shock. Makarov shrunk back down to size and smiled.

"All right then. Good luck children!"

With that he walked back to the bar and ordered a drink. Everyone went back to their own business, but Natsu and Ember still stood stiff in their positions. They looked at each other, making extended eye contact for the first time. Ember's heart sank in her chest. Natsu's stomach rolled over. They didn't break their stare. But they both wondered, why would Makarov possibly think it was a good idea to have them go out on a job together? They both worried how bad the outcome would be. They both worried that someone might get hurt.


	4. Chapter 4

Lucy and Gray sat at a table in the Guild Hall looking as if they were in deep thought. Next to them Wendy and Juvia looked at them with saddened faces. Gray didn't look sad, he just looked confused and like he was thinking of solutions. He kept tapping his fingers on the wooden table while loudly slurping down a glass of ice water. Lucy kept sighing and looking off into the distance. She looked sad, and worried. Wendy and Juvia felt bad for them.

"Gray, Juvia doesn't like seeing you like this." Juvia whispered. Gray ignored her.

"Come on guys, it's not that bad. You heard Natsu, he's not going to stop teaming up with you guys because Master told him to team up with Ember today. He would never ever let that happen." Wendy smiled, hoping her cheerfulness would rub off on her friends.

It didn't.

Erza walked over to the table, her armor clanking and her sword swinging at her side. She put her hands on her hips and looked at Gray and Lucy with a disturbed expression.

"ENOUGH YOU TWO!" She yelled while slamming both her fists down on the table.

Gray jumped out of his seat, while also taking his shirt off and accidently freezing his glass of water. Lucy screeched and fell backwards off her seat and onto the floor. Wendy looked down at her shocked, Lucy groaning. Juvia's face turned bright red from the proximity of a half naked Gray so close to her face.

"GRAY CLOTHES!" Erza yelled.

"Y...yes Erza!" Gray stammered.

"LUCY OFF THE FLOOR!" she yelled to the floor.

"S...Sorry Erza!" Lucy whimpered as she climbed from the floor back onto her seat.

"Now, enough of this pity party. You know Natsu is still allowed to work with us, and that he is still going to. So stop being foolish. Lets get out and enjoy the day."

Erza walked away, her shoulders held high, while her friends watched after her clearly defeated. She stopped and glanced over her shoulder. Every single one of them jumped out of their seats and fell into step behind her.

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Ember and Natsu arrived at their destination on foot, with Happy flying above them. Much to Natsu's relief, before they got onto the train Ember freaked and asked if it was close enough to walk. He gladly agreed to walk, no matter how far it was. But they had walked the entire way in silence, both either staring straight ahead or sneaking sideways glances at the other. They may have had the disdain of transportation in common, although for different reasons, but Natsu still was not willing to even let down a brick of his walls. And Ember was in no way about to break those walls down.

"Now what do we do?" Ember asked.

"Gramps said there were two wizards causing problems in this town. We just have to find them." Natsu replied.

"What if they find us first?"

"Doubt it. I already know where they are."

"Yeah."

The two wizards walked in step with each other towards the outskirts of town on the other side of where they were. As they twisted and turned through the cobbled roads they pondered in silence how well this mission would go. Natsu wondered if Ember would bring him down, or turn on him. Ember wondered if she would even be able to keep up with the legendary Salamander.

Within moments they reached the end of the road. Straw rooftops decorated the stone houses in this area of town. The trees shaded the neighborhood, and the gardens were a rainbow of beautiful flowers and herbs. It smelled lovely. Ember closed her eyes and breathed in deeply the smell of rosemary and honeysuckles. Natsu looked around the rooftops.

"Natsu." Ember whispered, her eyes still closed. "You are going to want to move."

"Why?" He asked, but before he could do anything something whizzed by his head making a whistling noise in his ear.

He followed the trajectory and saw a turquoise arrow sticking out of one of the trees. He looked at Ember in shock.

"How did you….?"

"Now is not the time."

They both turned around as another arrow came in their direction. They jumped out of the way, both in different directions. When the arrow, this time slick black, hit the ground it exploded, sending jagged pieces of rocks in every direction. Ember looked back at the arrow that was stuck in the tree and noticed that the tree around the arrow was slowly turning to liquid.

"You two are quick. Lucky lucky lucky!" A giggling perky voice echoed through the street.

Ember and Natsu looked from rooftop to rooftop looking for the source of the manic laughter. "Over here" the voice said, and they both looked up at the roof of the house right next to them.

Standing on the straw was a tall curvy woman not much older than the two of them. She had her blonde hair in a high ponytail on top of her head, and she carried a large wooden bow with a quiver filled with arrows of many different colors.

"Who are you?" Natsu yelled up at her.

"Mmm I'm Jesy. The greatest Archery wizard in all of Fiore." She said, with a crazy wide mouthed smile.

"If you were so damn good why did you miss us?" Natsu laughed.

"TWICE!" Ember yelled.

"Because I wanted to. " She smirked.

With incredible speed she loaded another arrow and shot it, but Ember and Natsu were able once again to avoid it. The arrows kept coming, and each time they hit something they had a different reaction. One in the garden let off a purple smoke. One that hit another tree turned all the leaves dead and black. Another caught a straw roof on fire.

Natsu tumbled and rolled and then launched himself at Jesy. She went to shoot an arrow at him but his flame engulfed fist reached her face first. She stumbled backwards but lifted her bow without missing another beat, but this time she pointed and shot it at Ember. Ember swung her scythe as the arrow came at her and deflected it. In the split second that Jesy turned her attention away from Natsu he blasted her with a Fire Dragon Wing attack. Jesy fell and rolled off the flaming roof, landing on the stone road with a thud. She groaned and tried to get back up but she just fell down again, and then she didn't move. Natsu landed on his feet right next to her with a smile on his face. Ember nodded at him with a smile.

"Nice scythe moves." Natsu complimented.

"Your moves were wayyyyy better." Ember laughed.

"Tsk tsk tsk…" another woman, coming out from around the back of the house.

She was even taller than Jesy, with long legs and extremely revealing clothing. Her breasts were almost uncovered. Her blonde hair hung over her shoulders and to the middle of her back. Her lips were the color of blood.

"I knew that was too easy." Natsu scowled.

" You took down my sister. Hm. Pity. I guess now I am going to have to take you down. The name is Cheza." The woman smiled, her teeth shining in the sunlight.

Natsu went to charge at her but suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Ember looked at him with wide eyes. He didn't move. Cheza stood there smiling and laughing.

"You're not going to attack me hot pants." Cheza giggled.

Natsu stood there, stone still. His fists were shaking and sweat was dripping down his forehead. His eyes were glassy and his cheeks the same shade of red as a tomato. His bottom lip quivered.

"No! How could I ever attack someone so…..beautiful!" He stammered.

"Natsu! What? Ew!" Ember choked.

"My kind of man. Now why don't you come over here to mama." Cheza said and beckoned Natsu to her with a seductive wave of her finger.

Natsu nodded, a goofy smile appearing on his face. He walked towards her, his knees wobbling. He might as well have been drooling. Ember was utterly confused. This was not how she had imagined Natsu to ever act. She had never heard anything of this sort about him in battle. He got closer and closer to Cheza, Ember not knowing what to do. When he got right in front of her she reached her hands out and grabbed him into a hug, burying his face in between her two large breasts. He got a nosebleed. Ember gritted her teeth in frustration. And then all of a sudden Natsu was flying through the air past her and slamming into the ground, a cloud of dust and rock rising into the air. He laid there face down, his face still goofy.

"Idiot!" Cheza laughed uncontrollably.

Then it clicked. Ember understood it now. She was using charm magic on him. A rare and not very often used magic, in fact she was pretty sure it was banned a long time ago. This manipulation made her even angrier. In her mind dirty tricks like that were cheating. She gripped her scythe with both hands and started running towards Cheza. Her charm magic wouldn't work on her, she wasn't interested in big breasts. Ember let out a yell as she got ready to swing her scythe down onto Cheza.

"Death Scythe Hound's Tooth attack!"

The ground burst to pieces in jagged edges. Dust clouds filled the air. Ember coughed and caught her breath. She didn't see Cheza.

"Oops. You missed."

Ember turned around to see Cheza right behind her. She went to raise her scythe again but Cheza used the same attack she had on Natsu and forced Ember flying backwards through the air. She hit the side of the house and slid to the ground in pain. She looked over at Natsu and he hadn't moved.

"Natsu….NATSU! YOU ARE CHARMED! ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS REALIZE IT AND THE CHARM WILL BE BROKEN!" Ember yelled at the top of her lungs. She let out a small cry as pain shot through her ribs.

Natsu moved. He shook his head and turned towards her. His eyes burned with anger. His entire body shaking with his power. He stood up, but he was still a little shaky from the charm spell. Ember knew what to do. She gripped her scythe with both hands and closed her eyes. "HELL FIRE!" The entire scythe erupted in orange and gold flames, black smoke rising in furls into the air around her. She opened her eyes and looked over at Natsu, raising the scythe and swinging it in his direction.

"NATSU CATCH!"

The flame attack flew through the air in Natsu's direction. His eyes grew wide and his mouth fell opened. Cheza began to laugh, thinking how foolish it was for Ember to attack her own teammate. But her laughter cut off when she noticed that Natsu was eating the flames, his stomach extending as he gulped them down.

"Wh….what the hell?" Cheza gasped.

Natsu smirked and wiped his mouth with his fist. He stood up straight and shot Ember a thankful glance.

"That fire was delicious. Now I'm all fired up!"

Cheza had no idea what to think or even what to do. And before she could react, Natsu was coming down on top of her with a flaming dragon iron fist attack. The ground shook and exploded around them. Ember shielded her face from the debri. When the dust settled she opened her eyes to survey the damage. Natsu was standing over a knocked out Cheza, looking over at Ember. He nodded, and Ember closed her eyes to rest.

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"So are your ribs okay?" Natsu asked as they walked back to the guild.

"Mm they will be alright. I just hit that house really hard. To bad it wasn't made of jelly or something." Ember laughed, and then winced as her ribs pinched.

"Maybe we should take the train." Natsu sighed.

"No! No I can make it. I'm tougher than you think."

"Okay."

They walked in silence for a long time until Happy decided to make his presence known. He had been silent the entire trip, and didn't even make any moves during the battle. So when he talked, Natsu and Ember were both hit by the curiosity of exactly why he hadn't said anything. Happy was never the one to be quiet.

"Natsu, how did you like Ember's fire?" Happy quipped.

"It tasted awesome. But hey, why didn't you do anything during the fight buddy? You always help me!" Natsu said shaking his fist up at the flying cat.

"I was told not to."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"

"Did I say that?"

"I think Master Makarov told him not to do anything so he could report exactly how the fight went. I also think he teamed us up in a bid to try and ease the tension." Ember interjected.

"Yeah well it was a bad idea. You got seriously hurt. You aren't strong enough." Natsu huffed.

"Oh, you're welcome for the fire pal." Ember gasped, offended.

"Natsu, don't be so mean to Ember. She's Fairy Tail too!" Happy said, flying in circles.

"Why don't you like me Natsu? What did I do?"

"Nothing. I don't hate you or anything. I just don't trust you."

"Huh?"

Ember stopped walking. He didn't trust her? She just didn't understand why. And for some reason, him saying that hurt all the way down to her bones. Her stomach turned, and she again winced from the pain in her ribs. She clutched at her injury, feeling tears burn in her eyes. She honestly didn't even have the energy to try anymore.

Natsu stopped walking, sensing that Ember had fallen behind. He turned around and looked at her. Seeing her in the state she was in bothered him a little bit, but he wouldn't show it, and he certainly didn't trust that feeling. As much as he didn't trust her. She may have helped him in the fight, but that didn't change his stance.

"I'm sorry. But that's just how I feel. Now let's go." He said in a low voice, and then continued walking forward.

"I hope that….one day….you can trust me. Natsu." She whispered to herself, and began to follow him.

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Ember and Natsu noisily arrived back at the guild hall. Natsu's clan of friends perked up and ran to him, flurrying him with questions. Ember hobbled over to the bar holding her side and Cana and Mira ran to her aid. They helped her from each side and got her back on balance.

"What happened Ember?" Mira asked concerned.

" I got thrown against a stone house. Hard." Ember laughed.

Cana looked over at Natsu and gave him a dirty look. How he could arrive back at the guild with an injured team mate and not so much as show concern was not like him, and she certainly didn't like it. She knew Ember, and she wasn't a bad person, and she was getting damn sick of people acting like she was.

Master Makarov slammed his fist down on the bar to get everyones attention. His eyes were closed and he had a drink in his hand. Everyone looked to him, waiting for him to speak. He took a sip of his drink, his cheeks flush from the alcohol, and then he opened his eyes.

"So how did it go? Happy?" Makarov asked.

"Aye! They traveled on foot because neither of them like transportation. Natsu gets sick and Ember is a scaredy cat. Heehee. They ran into two female wizards. One used arrows that did all sorts of cool things like explode and smoke, and the other used charm magic and sent both Ember and Natsu flying. But Ember was thrown into a stone house and hurt her ribs. But while Natsu was weakened she used her Hell Fire attack with her scythe and scent the flames to Natsu for power. He said they were delicious. Both wizards were defeated and arrested by the Magic Council Guards." Happy said, very quickly as he flew in frantic circles above everyone.

"Mmmm sounds good." Makarov nodded.

"Not good at all Gramps. She is too weak. And I can't fight alongside someone I don't trust." Natsu said, his arms crossed.

"Oh, is that right?" Makarov said, squinting his eyes at Natsu. "Yet she powered you with her Hell Fire attack, and you thought it was delicious?"

"So what? She got thrown against a house and was pretty much defeated, and she can hardly walk!" Natsu yelled.

"Yeah well if you didn't get charmed and become all goo-goo ga-ga over some slutty blonde bimbo then it wouldn't have happened in the first place! And don't forget when I warned you of the arrow that would have melted you're fire breathing ass if it had hit you!" Ember yelled at Natsu.

"If you had attacked in the first place instead of standing there like an onion then I wouldn't have gotten charmed in the first place!"

`"Standing there like….an onion? WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN? Asshole!"

"That's enough. This is worse than Gray and Natsu on their worst days." Makarov said slamming his fist down.

"HEY!" Gray and Natsu both yelled.

"You two need to grow up, and learn to work together. We are all a part of the same family here. You are all my children. I have had enough of this negativity. It has gone on long enough. This is not the way we welcome new members. I don't know when you all became this way, but it's time to put it to rest." Makarov said calmly.

"I'm not working with her again. I want to stick with my team." Natsu said, gritting his teeth.

"You will be working with her again. I assure you. Now go home and get some rest, the both of you. You need it."

Natsu shot one last dirty look at Ember and then left the guild hall. Lucy seemed to catch his attitude because she did the same, and followed after him. Happy flew out next. Ember breathed heavily as she looked around the guild hall. Everyone was looking at her. Watching her. Judging her. Erza and Juvia looked at her with what she could only assume was pity. Gajeel and Levy refused to even pay her attention. Gray shook his head and sat down. Even Macao and Wakaba seemed to look at her as if she was some week thing for people to feel bad for. She felt her anger rage through her. She clenched her teeth, trying with all her might to hold back her emotions.

She always knew that her emotions could bring out the worst in her, and she knew she had to control them. But right now she was injured, and her pride was hurt. So were her feelings. People she wanted to accept her kept shunning her. They wouldn't even give her a chance. Her body shook with her power, and everyone in the guild hall snapped their necks to look at her. They could all feel it. Her hair fell in front of her face and she smirked a fanged grin. Good, let them feel it. Bastards. Orange and Gold hell fire erupted all over her entire body. The black smoke rising towards the ceiling. When she heard people gasp, and even a startled cry, she snapped out of it. The flames went out in an instant and she snapped her head back up.

Ember looked around the hall with wide eyes. Everyone looked shocked. Some scared. Even Mira and Cana, the closest people she had to friends, had backed away from her. Makarov looked at her and shook his head, and then jumped off the bar and disappeared upstairs. She breathed heavily. Why had she let herself lose that much control? She would ruin everything if she let this happen again, if she hadn't already. Tears started to stream down her face and she began to limp towards the door to leave.

"Ember wait, you need your wounds to be treated." Mira cried.

Ember looked back at her, sorrow and embarrassment flowing down her face in a steady flow of tears. She gathered up all the energy she could muster and ran out the door.

"What in the fuck was THAT?" Cana exclaimed.

"That was some serious magic power. And Natsu said she was weak?" Macao pointed out, and Wakaba nodded in agreement while puffing his pipe.

"Natsu is obviously an ass." Gray said. Everyone turned to him.

He stood up, and of course his shirt was off. Erza yelled at him but he ignored her. He put his hands on his hips and looked over at Cana and Mira.

"You know her better than anyone else here. What are we missing?" Gray asked.

"Nothing. She's a very nice girl!" Mira squeaked.

"She really is. And she holds herself back most of the time because all of you jerks intimidate her so much. Maybe if you all weren't such judgmental assholes this would not have happened. Now look at everyone, they all have a negative opinion now!" Cana freaked out at Gray.

"Do you really blame anyone?" Gray yelled back at Cana.

"Yes! Yes I do you naked fool! Maybe if your thoughts were as free flowing as your clothing you would get it. You all made her uncomfortable. All made her feel unwanted. And now you are surprised she lost her cool? One time? You mean like you and asshole Natsu do ALL THE TIME!"

" Listen I didn't start this! It was all Natsu and Gajeel!"

"Hey! Watch it frosty!" Gajeel growled.

"Well, is anyone going to go check on her before she destroys the town or something?" Gray sneered.

"Screw you. Seriously Gray." And that was the last thing Cana said.

"Everyone leave her alone for now. She needs some time to herself." Mira said calmly. No one fought with her.

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Ember stumbled into the forest and fell to her knees. She gripped the grass in her hands as she cried. Every so often she would let out a loud screech due to the pain she felt every time her sobs made her ribs quiver. She straightened up and pulled her scythe off her back, holding it out in front of her. Engulfed in flames one second, and then the next her beloved friend Nunu was standing in front of her.

He looked down at her and tilted his head. He sniffed at her face, whining, and licked at her tears. She threw her arms around his neck and sobbed into his fur. He sat there and let his friend cry. Ember gripped at his fur and tightened her arms. She didn't want to let Nunu go. He was her only friend. And he probably always would be. She hated that she was so emotional. And always so nervous. But it was these kinds of things that made her this way. That made her want to forever stay isolated and alone. But she was sick of being lonely. She had had enough. She didn't know what to do anymore, and the more she thought about it the harder she cried. Even Nunu's warmth wasn't helping.

Out of nowhere Nunu started to growl, and Ember could feel his body vibrate. She was pretty sure his growl vibrated the Earth they sat on. Then she felt it. That dark presence. Her body went cold and her eyes snapped open. He was here. Why now? Why here? Of all places, and after all this time. Shaking, she parted herself from Nunu and looked up. And there he stood. His emotionless eyes looking down at her. His black hair falling in front of his eyes. The sweet face of a boy hiding the evilness of the worst demon.

"What are you doing here?" Ember said, clenching her fists.

"I can't say hello?" He asked.

"No. I don't want you anywhere near me."

"I felt your darkness. So I came."

"And? It doesn't concern you."

"But I think it does."

"BE GONE ZEREF! GET AWAY FROM ME!"

He disappeared in one blink. The wind began to blow again, and the birds began to chirp. The sun was still setting and night time would soon be upon them. She looked at Nunu and wiped her eyes. Catching her breath she went to stand up but fell back down. And, she sensed another presence behind her. One she had never sensed before. She turned around, slowly and cautiously.

Standing there in between the trees was an old woman in red. Her hair was a similar color to Natsu's, and it had a wand with crescent moons on either side of it sticking out of the bun on top of her head. She looked at Ember with curious eyes.

"Who….are you?" Ember stammered, wincing in pain. The pain was getting worse.

"When are you going to tell them?" The woman said in a voice like creaking wood.

"Tell who...tell who what?" Ember breathed.

But before the woman could say anything more, Ember's vision went black and she folded to the ground. Nunu whined and sniffed her, nudging her and licking her face. He didn't growl at the woman in red. He knew she meant no harm. He knew she was only there to help.


	5. Chapter 5

Ember woke up with a start. The sun was shining in her eyes through an open window, and she could feel the warmth on her face. The pain in her ribs had subsided extremely, and she actually had energy. But she had no idea where she was. She started to breath heavy in a panic, throwing the covers off of her, when MiraJane ran into the room.

"Ember! You're awake! How are you feeling?" She said in a soothing tone, and sat down beside her on the bed.

"Where am I Mira? How long was I sleeping?" Ember asked, rubbing her eyes.

"You are in the sick ward. You slept for 2 days." Mira smiled.

"How did I get here?"

"Porlyusica brought you in. She found you in the woods."

"Did she say anything?"

"She said she found you passed out in the woods with a giant hell hound!"

"Uh….uh…."

Ember started to rub the scar over her eye. It was beginning to throb. That woman had seen her with Nunu. And Zeref. But she hadn't said anything. But where was Nunu. She started to panic again.

"He's okay. He's sleeping on the floor at the foot of the bed. I'm surprised his snoring didn't wake you up. No one knows about him. And I won't tell. I understand how it can be hard to explain. I haven't even let anyone in here so that no one saw him." Mira smiled and grabbed Ember's hand, squeezing it tight.

"Thank you...so much Mira." Ember stammered, tears building up in her eyes. "I don't think anyone would want to see me anyways."

"You're wrong! Evergreen, Bickslow, Laxus and Freed all tried to get in. Cana almost fought me to get through. Good thing I'm stronger than all of them!"

"Oh wow. I'm shocked."

"Oh! And don't mention that I told you, but even Gray stopped by."

"Gray? Cold as ice-Gray?"

"Yes! Cana told him off pretty badly in front of a lot of people that day you were hurt. I think he might feel bad."

Ember and Mira both laughed. Ember squeezed Mira's hand as a tear dripped down her cheek. Mira smiled brighter than the sun. To Ember, Mira really was like the sun to her. She brought light into her life anytime darkness wanted to take over. Her friendship made Ember genuinely happy, and she felt lucky to have her. Same with Cana and the Thunder Legion, even though they were all way more brash and intimidating. But she was shocked about Gray. It kept running through her head but she didn't want to dwell on it too much. She didn't want to get her hopes up at all.

Over the end of the bed popped up two pointy ears and two big horns. They dipped back down and then a large nose popped up, sniffing the blankets, and then sneezed. Mira and Ember laughed, and then Nunu lunged himself onto the bed and bombarded Ember with doggy kisses, his tail wagging so hard it made a wind like sound as it moved through the air. Mira was almost knocked off the bed by the hellhound's sheer size, but she only laughed and began to pet his thick fur. He whined happily.

Knock-knock.

Ember and Mira looked at each other, not knowing what to do. Nunu perked up, alert, and sniffed towards the door. His ears moved around, trying to hear something. Ember tapped at Nunu until he looked back at her. She whispered his name and nodded her head, and with a whine Nunu burst into flames and once again became a scythe and went into Ember's hand. She leaned the weapon against the wall.

"Who is it?" Mira chirped.

"Dammit Mira if she is up you better let me in this room!" Cana yelled from the other side of the door.

Mira got up and let Cana in, leaving the door opened now that Ember was awake and her pet was gone. Cana rushed to the side of the bed and hugged Ember tightly.

"Are you okay? You were found in the woods!"

"Yes yes I am fine. Thank you for coming to see me."

"I tried a ton, but this bitch wouldn't let me in!"

"Well, I just woke up. So you didn't miss much."

"I'm taking it Porlyusica's magic did some wonders. Can she leave sick bay today?"

Cana turned to Mira for the answer. Mira hesitated for a second and then nodded yes with a laugh. After feeling as low as she did before she woke up in this bed, Ember actually felt really good. And she felt surrounded by friends.

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"Are you sure that this isn't going to turn into a problem for you Makarov?" Porlyusica said, sitting straight backed and looking across the table sternly at the old man.

"Yes. I already know everything Porlyusica." Makarov nodded.

"Regardless. Are you sure?"

"I trust her."

"But does everyone else in the guild?"

"No. But I am working on it."

"You are a stupid old man."

"Maybe so. But I will stand by my children. No matter what."

Porlyusica nodded, although she did not agree with the Master. But she had made her opinion known and that's all that mattered. Her and Makarov stood up from their seats and made their way to the main area of the guild hall.

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When Ember entered the main guild hall she was greeted by the chaotic cheers of the Thunder Legion. Evergreen jumped into a hug, and so did Freed. Bickslow and his babies all said her name at the same time, raising the creepy factor. Laxus walked up to her and stood close enough to where she could feel his body heat. She looked down at the floor and blushed. He smiled and roughed up her hair, and then let out a snicker and walked away.

The usual members were present. Most of them refused to look at her, including Natsu and Lucy. Happy waved but then Lucy smacked him. Ember caught Gray looking over at her, and they locked eyes for a second. He turned away, and before Ember turned away she noticed the jealousy in Juvia's eyes. She wondered if that girl got jealous over every person Gray looked at.

Ember made her way over to the bar with a slight limp and sat with her guild mates. The ones that were her friends. Her scythe was tightly strapped to her back and she was ready to go out and enjoy the day. A part of her hoped she didn't get sent on a job today, but at the same time she wanted to go out and work, because in a mood like this she would definitely do a good job.

In the corner of her eye she noticed Makarov and Porlyusica, the purple haired woman she had seen in the woods, enter the room. Her breath caught in her throat, and then she remembered that Makarov knew already. He knew everything. Pretty much. She let herself relax.

"Good morning children. Good news is Ember has healed wonderfully and is almost 100%. " Makarov smiled. There were a few grumbles in the crowd.

Makarov bid Porlyusica a farewell and winked at Ember. Ember smiled and nodded back at the Master. He then cleared his throat and turned his attention back at the guild members.

"Erza. Gray. Juvia. Lucy. Natsu. And Ember. You will all be going to meet Crime Sorciere. As you know this rogue guild is made up of Jellal and Meridy, and at one time Ultear. But now it is much larger. The members of what used to be Oracion Seis are now joined with them. They have been doing heavy intel on a situation that is currently a threat to us, and the other guilds in Fiore. You will be meeting up with them and finding out what they know, and then reporting back to me. And for goodness sakes, GET ALONG!"

With that Makarov left. Ember looked over at the table were the people she was to join were sitting. The entire group she was going with did not like her and did not trust her, save maybe for Erza. She so far had always been kind to her. Ember let out a sigh and went to get up. She might as well at least go say good morning.

"Do you want me to ask Master if I can go? He kind of put you in a crappy situation." Cana said.

"No. No I will be fine." Ember said, and started to walk to the table.

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"Oooooo Erza you must be excited to see Jellal!" Happy giggled and flew out of the way before Erza could smack him. Bright red roses bloomed on her cheeks.

"The old Oracion Seis huh? This should be interesting." Gray snickered.

"Can we even trust them?" Lucy added.

"Jellal wouldn't let them be in Crime Sorciere if he didn't trust them. And if he trusts them then so do I. Besides, it's better to have them as allies instead of enemies, no?" Erza smiled.

Everyone at the table nodded. Natsu was looking off into the distance, not seeming to really pay attention. Lucy sighed. He had been in a weird mood lately, and she didn't like it. He didn't seem like Natsu. Lisanna had noticed to and was actually the one to bring it to her attention. And neither one of them could get a reaction out of him.

"Juvia is so happy to be sent out in a team with Gray!" Juvia squealed.

"Yeah, fun." Gray sighed.

"Hey guys….." Lucy trailed off.

They heard footsteps and looked up to see Ember walking over to their table. Natsu still hadn't done anything. He remained looking out into the distance. Lucy looked away, refusing to acknowledge her. At first she had wanted to be nice and give her a chance, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Not with the way Natsu felt. Natsu meant more to her than probably anyone else, so she would never go against his feelings.

"Good morning. I look forward to traveling with you guys today. I have heard a lot about Crime Sorciere and the Oracion Seis. I look forward to meeting them too." Ember said with a smile.

"Good morning Ember. I hope you are feeling better. I think you will be intrigued by the power of these people. They are quite the group." Erza laughed.

"I'm feeling much better, thank you Erza." Ember nodded.

"Was it Porlyusica that healed you so fast?" Juvia asked.

"Yes. She is a wonderful and powerful woman. I'm really grateful actually. What's up Lucy, Natsu, Gray." Ember said with a giant smile on her face.

Lucy didn't react. Gray nodded with a smile, which caused Juvia to turn red in the face, and Natsu for some reason snapped out of his trance and looked sternly at Ember with furrowed brows.

"Did you just say 'Natsu is gay'?" He barked.

"Are you fucking serious Natsu?" Gray snapped.

"No, not at all. " Ember snorted and started laughing hysterically. She had to walk away after that. And she laughed her entire way to the bar.

"You guys are fools." Erza sighed.

"I swear that's what she said!" Natsu yelled.

" You seriously need to clean the ash out of your ears flame brain!" Gray yelled back.

"Gray I am going to toast you like a freaking marshmallow and put you on a cracker in a second!"

Erza, Juvia, Lucy, and Happy sat by as Gray and Natsu bickered. They waited for the boys to hash it out before they gathered Ember and decided to leave.

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Walking in a large group down a beaten down dirt path, the group of wizards would have caught the attention of anyone passing close by. If anyone had been around. The only action in this forest was the song of birds and the rustling of small forest creatures. The sun shined it's light through the trees in miraculous beams, and the cool summer breeze felt nice on bare skin. Erza trailed a giant cart of luggage behind her, Happy sitting on the top of the heap and humming some song about fish. Natsu walked towards the front of the group, Lucy smiling and enjoying the weather at his side. Gray and Juvia walked next to Erza, and Ember took up the rear silently.

"So…..much….luggage." Juvia gasped. She had yet to get over Erza's traveling load.

"Erza, was the luggage necessary this time?" Gray sighed.

"It's always necessary." Erza smiled.

"Are we there yet?" Happy chirped.

Erza nodded as a group of shadowed figures appeared in the distance. Ember perked up. Crime Sorciere! A rogue guild made up of the infamous Jellal, once on the magic council and a former member of the 10 Wizard Saints. Meridy, at one time a member of the fearsome and strong dark guild Grimoire Heart. And of course, the former members of the Oracion Seis, except for their old leader Brain. The shadowy figures slowly began to take form, and as they got closer and closer, Ember got more and more excited. Being in isolation for so long she never got to be around so many famously known Wizards. Of course, just as she had heard of the strong Fairy Tail members she had also heard of these wizards, but coming face to face with them was entirely different than hearing stories.

The Fairy Tail group stopped. Crime Sorciere stood in an organized group in front of them. Jellal, the guilds leader, stood regally and seriously, his blue hair blowing in the wind, the red mark over his right eye confirming exactly who he was. His second in command, Meridy, stood at his side, her flowing rosy hair tied in a high ponytail, a sweet smile on her face. And then there was the former Oracion Seis. HotEye, ever so large with a face carved out of wood. Racer, pointy nose and skin tight speed suit, his eyes covered by dark lensed goggles. Cobra, the pointy eared Poison Dragon Slayer. Angel, the beautiful and white as snow Celestial Wizard. And Macbeth, formerly Midnight, his red eyes and black lips intimidating in their own right. Ember cowered behind Erza's luggage, her breath caught in her throat. Someone was standing there that she never expected to see. Someone from her past. Her heart pounded out of her chest and she tried to remain unseen. Why did all these things keep happening to her?

"Erza. Lovely to see you again. " Jellal smiled wide.

"Yes. Jellal." Erza's face brightened, and she blushed.

"Why are you aligned with Oracion Seis now Jellal?" Gray asked.

"We are all after the same thing. They put their darkness behind them and decided to help us. No need to be frightened, no need to judge." Jellal answered.

"That's right." Meridy chirped.

Erza let go of her luggage cart and went over to stand next to Jellal. Their natural chemistry was strong enough to mix into the air and be felt by everyone around them. But that didn't mean anyone chose to mention such things. They stood next to each other as leaders, and this clued everyone into the fact that Erza must have already known the information the rest of them would soon be finding out.

"I don't like this. I would rather fight them!" Natsu growled.

"Natsu…." Lucy whispered in an effort to calm him down.

"I know Natsu, but this isn't the time. Or the place. And we aren't enemies anymore." Jellal said, squinting his eyes.

"These guys make Juvia uncomfortable." Juvia whimpered, shuffling her feet.

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

"Seriously Juvia? I think you are stronger than all of them. " Gray balked, confused.

"Can we get to business guys?" Meridy sighed.

"Just let me have one go at the Salamander, we have a score to settle." Cobra snickered.

"You will be fried potatoes when I'm done with you stink breath!" Natsu yelled with flamed fists.

"I see you have not changed." Macbeth said with a smile.

"Yeah but he's stronger than before!" Lucy said with a raised fist.

"Guys…." Jellal tried.

"Gray, will you protect Juvia?" Juvia cooed.

"Wha?" Gray gasped.

"Who is this blue haired bimbo?" Angel giggled.

""Guys…." Jellal tried again.

"LOVE!" Hoteye yelled, sparkles in his eyes.

Jellal let out a deep sigh, his shoulders hunched and his hand over his face. Meridy just shook her head. And Erza put a comforting hand on Jellal's shoulder with a laugh.

"We are never going to get anywhere like this." Jellal shook his head.

"ALRIGHT LISTEN UP!" Erza's voice boomed. Everyone stopped any movements, any train of thought. They all looked at her.

"Good, I have your attention. As much as I might love theater, this is not the time for drama. Let Jellal speak."

"Alright. So, there have been a few wizards running around and causing chaos around Fiore. Two of them were taken out by Natsu and arrested, but it has come to our attention that they have escaped the Council's prison. And I assure you, they will not be as easily beaten the second time. If anything they were only playing cat and mouse with you Natsu, they are more powerful then you may have been led to believe." Jellal explained.

"What? No way. I was tricked! And it won't happen next time either!" Natsu said through gritted teeth.

"Regardless, they are not the only ones. They have a leader, and he is worse than they are. They call him The Bone Crusher. I don't think I need to explain that in more detail."

"Maybe you should." Lucy whimpered. Bone Crusher didn't sound fun at all.

"He uses an old magic. He can literally crush his opponents bones from a distance. He doesn't even have to touch you." Meridy added.

"How do we defend against something like that?" Gray gasped.

"With wit. And strategy. Outnumbering him will probably help. And we have that on our side." Erza explained.

"So, what do we do?" Gray asked.

"We don't know his current location. Until we find that out there isn't much we can do. All I know is him and his girls need to be stopped. They are a serious threat. We don't know why yet, but as soon as we have the intel we will let all of you know." Jellal said with a nod.

"Okay. So what are they planning?" Natsu chimed in.

"We don't know yet." Meridy sighed.

"THEN WHY ARE WE HERE?" Natsu yelled.

"Wow you are dense." Cobra laughed.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Natsu was getting angrier and angrier.

"Stop!" Jellal hissed. He held up his hand, and was looking around suspiciously. "Someone else is here."

"Oh! It's only Ember. I knew I didn't see her. Why are you behind my luggage Ember, have you even been listening?" Erza called out.

"Ember?" Cobra and Jellal said in unison.

"Yes. She's a new wizard to our guild." Erza smiled.

Ember took in a deep breath, let it out, and came out of hiding. She walked around the luggage to join the group, looking at the ground. She still had a slight limp, but she dragged her feet more than usual. Seeing that there was no threat Jellal's tension eased. But Cobra's did not. He stared at Ember, his fists shaking, his teeth grinding.

"Erik." Ember said in a low voice.

"Cobra? You know Ember?" Erza asked curiously.

"Ember….you…." Cobra stammered.

"Oh great, the last thing we need is a lovers quarrel!" Natsu shouted.

"Excuse me?" Cobra barked.

"Fuck you Natsu. He's not a lover." Ember sneered.

"What the hell is going on now Erza?" Jellal sighed. Erza looked at him and shrugged.

"He's my brother." Ember said, looking up and locking eyes with Cobra.

The entire group let out a collective gasp. This had not only taken the Fairy Tail wizards off guard, but also the Crime Sorciere wizards. Not a single one of them had been aware that Cobra, or Ember for that matter, even had a sibling.

"What the FUCK?" Natsu and Gray both yelled.

"Listen you little twits, one more word out of you and I'll pump you both so full of poison you won't know what hit you." Cobra sneered.

"Erik…..I thought you were dead." Ember said, shaking.

"You wish you little bitch."

"Dammit Erik!What happened to you?Why didn't you….why didn't you come find me?"

"Why would I want to do that? I want nothing to do with you Ember."

Ember continued to shake. She looked back down at the ground, tears streaming down her face. Cobra looked at her with darkness and hate. This situation struck a nerve with Fairy Tail. They may not have trusted her, or even befriended her, but that type of treatment from family didn't go over well with them. Even Natsu and Lucy reacted to this, their hands balled into fists. Erza was getting impatient, and Jellal noticed but shook his head. They knew it wasn't their business, and to just let it play out as long as no one was getting physically injured. But it bothered Gray the most, and much to Juvia's disdain, he wasn't going to let it go quietly.

"You are her brother, and you talk down to her like that? She thought you were dead, and you didn't even let her know you were alive? What kind of bullshit is that?" Gray said, shaking.

"It's really none of your business to be honest. But if you must know, it's not like she came after me when those fools from the Tower of Heaven came and took me away." Cobra laughed.

"You were children. CHILDREN. WHAT THE HELL WAS SHE SUPPOSED TO DO?" Gray shouted.

"Hmph. I'm done with this. Are we done Jellal? I'm getting sick being in the presence of such idiots." Cobra smirked.

"I've told you all everything I know. This meeting has gone far from satisfactory, I expect better behavior next time." Jellal said.

He turned to Erza and hugged her goodbye, and then Crime Sorciere disappeared into the distance. Everyone was still on edge, except for Erza who remained calm and collected, and Happy, who didn't exactly understand anything that had happened. All he had was fish on the brains. Erza put her hand on Ember's shoulder and squeezed, if only to let her know that everything would be alright. Without any words, everyone headed back home to Fairy Tail.

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"So Jellal let you know everything he knew so far?" Makarov asked Erza, as he sat in his usual seat on top of the bar.

"Yes. They don't know much. But the little bit of information we do have is unsettling enough." Erza sighed.

"Mmm. Well, as soon as we find out anything more, I will let you know. I have other sources of information."

"Yes, thank you Master."

Erza went over to a table and joined her friends. The table was crowded today, and she noticed that the reason for it was idle gossip. She refused to participate, but that didn't mean she wouldn't listen. All information was good information. Even if for the time being it was just hearsay. The group at the table consisted of Natsu, Lucy, Gajeel, Levy, Lisanna, Juvia, Gray, Wendy, Carla, Happy, and Pantherlily. And of course Erza.

"Juvia thinks Gray may like Ember, and that Ember may like Gray." Juvia sighed.

"What is wrong with you?" Gray yelled.

"No. That makes no sense." Lucy said shaking her head.

"No, it doesn't." Lisanna agreed.

"Why are you guys even talking about this?" Wendy asked, but everyone ignored her.

"She obviously has a thing for Gajeel guys. Right?" Levy said.

"What the hell are you girls on?" Gajeel gasped.

"You're both wrong. She definitely likes Natsu." Lisanna said with a head nod.

"I agree! You are totally right Lisanna!" Lucy shrieked. The girls looked at each other with a smile, but then that smile dropped and they quickly looked away from each other.

"What….what is going on?" Wendy cried.

"Yeah, WHAT IS GOING ON?" Natsu shouted.

"Since when did any of you care about such trivial matters?" Erza butted in.

The table erupted into everyone talking at once. Gajeel and Levy bickered, Gray freaked out on Juvia as she said more and more ridiculous things, Lisanna and Lucy got more and more steamed at each other while Natsu sat confused and trying to find out what was going on. Erza and Wendy kept trying to break the tension, but it wasn't working. They didn't understand why the girls were acting this way, it wasn't like them at all. The exceeds noticed as well.

"This is weird. I don't understand all this negative attitude." Pantherlily said.

"Me neither. The girls are acting like wild animals." Carla scoffed.

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

"At least Wendy and Erza haven't fallen into this mess." Carla sighed.

"There must be a reason for it. I just can't for the life of me figure it out." Pantherlily shook his head.

"Me neither Lily." Carla agreed.

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"So, wait a second, you have a brother?" Cana gasped.

"And it's Cobra from the Oracion Seis!" Mira squealed.

Ember let out a long sigh. She was glad to have some friends to talk to about what had happened on her trip. Luckily Mira and Cana were both around when she arrived back. Laxus sat a couple seats away but the most he added into the conversation was a laugh here and there. The laughter didn't bother Ember. She just penned it to the type of person Laxus was, and she knew he wasn't a bad one. She smiled to herself when she realized she was happy it wasn't Bickslow laughing every now and then. His laugh creeped her out, but of course he was still her friend. Her creepy and loud friend.

"So, your brother is a dragon slayer. Is that why you are so interested in dragons and dragon slayers?" Laxus asked, sipping an ale.

"Uhm. Sure. I guess." Ember nodded.

"He's a lacryma powered dragon slayer though right, like me?"

"Correct."

"So why would you care about dragons?"

"You ask a lot of questions, don't you?"

"You still haven't answered."

"That power still came from a dragon. Even if he wasn't raised by one."

Laxus smiled at her and nodded. She smiled back. Cana and Mira were still dwelling on the fact that Ember had a brother this entire time and she had never said anything. But then they realized that she thought he was dead, and it must have been painful for her to even think about.

"Oh, Mira, do you know of any rooms for rent? I finally think I have enough money!" Ember said with a squeal.

"Yes! Here you go." Mira chirped, and handed Ember a piece of paper from behind the bar.

"So you will finally have your own bed huh?" Laxus snickered.

"Laxus, don't be a pervert!" Mira gasped.

Ember laughed and shook her head as she read the piece of paper Mira had given her. She had been right, she did finally have enough money for rent. This caused the biggest smile to appear on her face, and she couldn't seem to get rid of it. A place of her own. No more sleeping in the woods. Despite all the negative that was happening in her life, she had just as much positive going on as well. A great ending to an otherwise bad day.


	6. Chapter 6

Ember sat up in her bed and stretched her arms above her head, reaching for the sky. She yawned loudly and then smiled. The sun washed her bed in a golden glow and it felt warm on her skin. Nunu's wagging tail thumped on the bed as he slowly woke up. Ember giggled and wrapped the blankets around herself, cuddling up to the large fluffy hellhound.

"Isn't this wonderful? This bed. Ugh. It's like sleeping on a cloud compared to the ground! And these blankets!"

Nunu looked at her and snorted. She kissed his nose and smiled. "Oh, don't be jealous, you know you were a good blanket too. But let's be honest, you snore reallyyyy loud!"

Ember let out a genuine laugh as Nunu began to lick her face. She pushed him off of her gently and sat back up, and then she got out of bed. Her pet watched her as she walked around the large room and got dressed in her street clothes and packed up her essentials. When she was dressed and ready she grabbed a cigarette and lit it, sitting down at her small breakfast table and looking out the window. Nunu growled low in his throat.

"Don't judge me dog. It's not like I smoke all the time. But it feels nice to be able to wake up to a smooth stick of tobacco in my own place, and sit at my own table, while looking out MY window."

She finished her cigarette and then laced her boots. She grabbed her hooded cape and cross body backpack and put them on. Unlocking the door she looked back at the hellhound.

"I would leave you here to relax for the day, but I have a feeling that I'm going to have to go on a job today. So if you are okay with that, we better get going."

Nunu huffed and puffed in a way that only animals could and turned into his weapon form. Ember snapped the scythe to her back and walked out the door, making sure to lock it behind her.

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Walking into the guild hall Ember noticed that for being so early in the morning a lot of people were there. Even Romeo, Macaos son that idolized Natsu, was there. And he was a presence that wasn't very often seen this early. Even Makarov was already sitting on the bar. If she hadn't already checked the time, she could have sworn she slept the entire day away and it was now late afternoon. But no, it was in fact bright and early in the morning.

She spotted Cana over at a table with Macao and Wakaba and went over to join her. The older men didn't seem to mind and made a space for her. Cana, of course, was already drinking. In fact, so were Macao and Wakaba. And the smoke that poured out of Wakabas pipe circled above all their heads. Ember thought, they might as well be sitting at the bar.

"So how was your first night in your new place? Any special guests?" Cana smirked, wiggling her eyebrows.

"My money is on Laxus." Macao nodded.

"No way, Bickslow." Wakaba said with a shake of his head.

"Oh my gosh, what dirty old men. I had no guests! And Cana, it was wonderful. So comfortable." Ember beamed.

Across the guild hall Natsu's group was sitting together as usual. Lucy yawned, not ready to be awake yet. And Gray, Happy, and Natsu all shoved their mouths full of food. Lucy shook her head, realizing that she might as well go into the woods and hang out with the animals, because these three ate like some. Erza came over and joined the table, a small plate with a spongy cake with strawberries and cream right in the middle. She sat down delicately, smiled at her cake, and then began to eat it.

"Mmmm. I love cake." Erza drooled.

"You are all animals." Lucy sighed.

"Da yu noot ike ood?" Natsu said with a mouthful of food.

"Ike ayone coo unertand at" Gray countered, also his mouth full of food.

"Why don't you guys try talking without your mouths filled with that garbage you guys eat?" Lucy laughed. They just looked at her and shrugged. "So why are we here so early today?"

"Master told me to make sure you all were here. That's all I know." Erza said in between bites of cake.

Makarov put his drink down on the bar next to him. He sat with his legs crossed and appeared to be in a calm and chipper mood. He wasn't drunk, so it could be assumed he was not drinking alcohol. Yet.

"Children, your attention please." Makarov called out to the room.

"Is everyone you need here Master?" Mira asked quietly from behind the bar. Makarov nodded.

"We have a location on those wizards that Crime Sorciere was getting intel on. It turns out that the two female wizards are currently hiding out at a desolate location not far from here. Natsu and Ember, you two are to go to them at once and take them out. Erza, you will take Lucy and Gray with you to meet Jellal. He has more information to share with you. This is secret information, you are not to mention whatever you hear to anyone. ANYONE. Are we understood?"

Makarov looked around the room and took notice that all the assigned wizards were nodding their understanding. The Master smiled and nodded.

"Good. Now all of you get ready and head out. Oh and Natsu and Ember, I have faith that the two of you will do much better this time."

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The group stood outside the guild hall to exchange words and encouragement. It was about time for them to split up and go their separate ways. Erza had her cart packed sky high with luggage as usual. Everyone else traveled lightly.

"Natsu, be careful. I have faith in you." Lucy blushed.

"Oh don't worry. I am going to kick their asses." Natsu smiled from ear to ear.

"Hey Ember, don't let this punk make you feel like you can't handle it. You got this" Gray said with a smile and patted Ember on the back.

"Thanks Gray." She smiled back shyly.

"Who's the punk Gray?" Natsu yelled.

"Anyways, good luck to you both. We will see you back here." Erza nodded with a smile. And with that, the one group split into two, and they went their separate ways.

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"This really is a desolate place. Who would want to live here?" Ember scoffed.

"They aren't living here. They are hiding. Like cowards. COME ON OUT AND FACE US YOU CHUMPS!"

"Really Natsu? Is that necessary?"

Natsu ignored her and kept walking. They had to pay attention to their steps because in the path were random rocks and other debri that would be easy to trip over if you happened to be not looking.

After a long while, and a lot of sweating, they reached the top of a rocky cliff and spotted a cave. They stood a distance from the entrance and waited for the wizards to come out. They would no doubt be sensed by them, and they would come out to defend their hiding place. All Ember and Natsu had to do was wait. Happy flew high above their heads in slow and steady circles. Being too close to the ground was too dangerous for him. So unless he was desperately needed, it was a good idea for him to remain high up and out of site.

Before the two of them could get too impatient, the two women that they had defeated on their last mission together, came out of the cave. They both looked exactly the same as before. Jesy all high strung and carrying her bow, and Cheza barely dressed and ready to charm.

"Didn't you kids learn last time? It's not even worth it." Cheza smirked.

"Well, it kind of is. Because this time, you can't charm anyone. Your game was figured out, and now it's useless." Ember laughed, and then both her and Natsu charged at them.

Jesy got her bow ready with a purple arrow, the one that burst into purple shot it at Ember, but it was diced in half with her scythe. Cheza tried to charm Natsu and realized that Ember had been correct, the charm spell wasn't working anymore. Before either of them could do anything, Natsu and Ember were on top of them. Natsu delivered a flawless fire dragon iron fist to Cheza's face, and Ember hit Jesy with a Hell Fire attack.

Both wizards were still on their feet though, and Ember and Natsu charged again, this time from different angles. Ember dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way as the black arrow headed towards her face. It missed and exploded the ground behind her. Cheza sent a shockwave attack at Natsu but he dodged it at just the right moment. They were closing in again but at the last moment Cheza and Jesy switched places. This caught Ember and Natsu off guard. Natsu dropped to the ground as a red arrow pierced his leg and sent shooting pain all over his body. It felt like every single one of his nerve endings was being severed. He cried out in agony. Ember was hit with Cheza's shockwave and flew backwards through the air, but was lucky enough to stick her scythe in the ground and come to a stop before slamming into anymore rocks.

"Natsu, are you alright?" Ember called out to him.

"No! Holy shit this pain is unreal! You have to do something Ember, I know you have more up your sleeve! Come on!" Natsu screamed.

"I…..I can't!" She cried.

Natsu clenched at his leg in agony. Tears of pain running down his face. His muscles bulged with the struggle of what he was going through. Ember knew she couldn't go farther with her magic. It was too risky. But she didn't know what else to do. Before she could even begin to come up with a solution she noticed a bunch of large rocks traveling on a shockwave heading right towards Natsu. His eyes weren't even opened, there was no way he would be able to defend against it. She took off running towards him, hoping she made it in time.

Natsu opened his eyes at the last second, seeing an explosion of rocks right in front of him, and he heard a loud scream of pain. Standing in front of him, with her back to him, was Ember. And she had just taken on the wave of rocks with her body. Natsu gasped. After the way he had treated her all this time, she still put herself in the line of fire to protect him. Ember dropped to the ground and let out a groan. Natsu dragged his body over to her, forgetting how bad the pain was for a minute. She could barely open her eyes. She was bleeding from cuts all over. Her clothes were littered with holes.

"Why would you do that? Are you insane?" Natsu yelled at her.

"You wouldn't have been able to handle the attack if it had hit you. Not in the state you were in." Ember breathed. Her chest rose and fell heavily with her strained breathing.

"You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"Would it have really mattered? Now take that arrow out of your leg, and go defeat these bitches."

"It doesn't matter? YES IT DOES! You need to man up and be strong! YOU ARE A FAIRY TAIL WIZARD! AND WE NEVER LOSE!"

Natsu pulled the arrow out of his leg with one strong yank and tossed it to the ground. His eyes burned with dancing flames, and his entire body lit itself. He stood up and started making his way closer and closer to Jesy and Cheza. They weren't taking him seriously, and just stood there pointing and laughing. Natsu let out a battle cry and ran at Jesy, knowing he could take her down easily. He used the same attack on her that he used the first time, and Jesy went down like a sack of bricks. But Cheza was still standing, and she blasted Natsu back so hard he flew into a rock so hard that the rock broke around him. He crumbled to the ground, pieces of stone blanketing him. His breathing was heavy and he couldn't move.

Ember had seen all this from where she lay on the ground. She clenched her scythe, feeling her own power surge through her like electricity in a wire. The orange and gold flames spread all over her body, the black smoke making curlicues and traveling into the sky. The fire got brighter, and hotter. She clenched her teeth and let out sounds of pain as the transformation took place. Claws bursted through her boots and at the tip of her fingers. Black spots began to appear up and down her arms and on her face. Horns like those of a ram grew out of her head. She began to levitate off the ground, her cape flowing behind her not from the wind, but from the power. She opened her eyes and a they were alight with the color of the flames that engulfed her. When she spoke, it sounded like she was speaking with two voices.

"Prepare for your judgement. Summons of the Hell Hound, HELL FIRE FANG ATTACK!"

Natsu opened his eyes and watched Ember attack Cheza in amazement. She swung her scythe, and it caused the air around it to catch on fire, as if it was actually ripping a hole in it. The attack landed on Cheza and her hair and clothes burned clean off of her, and she flew backwards, slamming into the ground, the ground bursting into jagged edges around her and trapping her.

Ember touched her feet to the ground. The horns disappeared as well as the claws, her eyes went back to normal, and the fire died. She made sure both of the wizards remained down and unmoving. This time, they had really won, fair and square. She strapped her scythe to her back and walked over to Natsu to help him up. He grabbed her hand and got to his feet with her help. He could only look at her. For the time being, he had absolutely no words.

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Ember and Natsu sat in an open field in order to rest. Without rest they wouldn't make it home at a decent hour because they would crash and have to sleep somewhere. The sun was getting low in the sky and getting ready to set. It's time would be up in another couple of hours. The grass beneath them was soft, so they laid in it. Natsu finally decided that maybe he should give Ember a chance. Just maybe he should try to get to know her a little. She did block him from an attack after all. And that's something someone you can trust would do. Not something a bad person would do.

"So that transformation you did, is it like Mira's Satan Soul?"

"No. In order for you to understand I would have to show you something."

"You don't have to do that. I understand if you don't want to show me."

"No, I will. But Mira is the only other person who knows. So you have to keep your mouth shut!"

"Deal."

Ember sat up and grabbed her scythe out of the grass next to her. As soon as it burst into flames Natsu sat up startled. Happy hid behind Natsu. Nunu appeared in front of all of them, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Natsu and Happy screamed in a shockingly girly way, and scurried backwards a few feet. Ember laughed.

"Don't worry. He won't hurt you. His name is Nunu."

Nunu lowered himself to the ground and crawled over to Natsu and Happy in order to make himself look less threatening. He nudged Natsu's hand, telling him to pet him. Natsu was hesitant, but once his hand was in Nunu's fur he caressed him gently. Nunu panted happily and Natsu laughed.

"He looks like he's smiling!"

"I think that's because he is."

Happy creeped out from behind Natsu, his ears lowered and pressed down on the top of his head. He walked to Nunu very slowly. When he was close enough to feel the dogs breath he reached his little paw out and closed his eyes, but was then knocked over when Nunu licked him with his humongous tongue. They all laughed.

"What is he?" Natsu asked.

"A Hellhound. He channels his power through the scythe when he is in that form. Allowing me to use it. The last attack I used is the strongest one. It's when I channel so much of Nunu's power that I actually take on some of his characteristics. It feels really weird. And it's almost like being an entirely different person." Ember explained.

"So this is your magic?"

"More or less."

"Is it the only kind you use?"

"Hm. Maybe. I can't tell you all my secrets. We just became friends."

She smiled at Natsu and winked. He grinned wide and continued to pet Nunu. Happy jumped on the HellHounds back and curled up in his fur, but was promptly knocked off. Natsu had started to wrestle with the creature. Ember gasped, putting her hand to her mouth. The hellhound and the dragon slayer rolled around in the grass, yipping and laughing and making all sorts of animalistic noises. But Natsu looked like he was having a good time. This was a totally different Natsu then Ember had seen. She liked this Natsu a hell of a lot better.

"He looks like he is having a lot of fun." Ember giggled.

"Aye!" Happy said in a tired voice. He climbed into Embers lap and curled into a little kitty ball and fell asleep.

Natsu crawled over out of breath. He had green grass stains on his face and arms. His pink hair was disheveled. Nunu laid in the grass panting. His fur all dirty. Ember let out a groan.

"Man, now I have to give him a bath." She sighed.

"I'll help! That guy is AWESOME!" Natsu cheered.

"You really are an animal."

"So, hey. Thanks for showing him to me. And, I'm sorry for the way I treated you."

"I forgive you. Do you trust me yet?"

"Hm. Maybe."

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"You guys are back!" Lucy squealed and ran up to Natsu, jumping into a hug.

Natsu laughed as he told the story of the fight to his friends. Ember had already parted from him and went over to her friends at the bar. Everyone listened intently as Natsu told them the details, except for the specifics on Ember's powers, of the entire fight. They all seemed genuinely awed and amazed. But the change in attitude Natsu had towards Ember caused a weird feeling in Lucy's stomach. Lisanna didn't appear too happy about it either. They just didn't understand why they were feeling this way so strongly.

"So what kind of powers does she use?" Gajeel leaned across the table and asked.

"Nosy!" Levy giggled.

"I'm telling you, those metal studs will melt right off your face when you see it!" Natsu laughed.

"Wha?" Gajeel balked.

"I actually want to see it now." Gray smiled.

"Juvia too. I doubt it's cooler than Juvia's water though." Juvia cooed, looking side eyed at Gray.

"Seriously Juvia. You are so weird." Gray laughed. Juvia turned bright red and pouted.

"So what, do you like her now?" Lucy asked.

"I misjudged her. I acted like a real jerk. We all did." Natsu nodded.

"Yeah, I guess we did." Gajeel agreed.

Ember sat at the bar to cheers of her success and a round of drinks. She took a sip and relished how refreshing it tasted. Her stomach growled loudly, and with a laugh Mira walked off to grab her some food. Cana and Evergreen put their arms around her and asked her all the details. They whooped and yeahed at all the good parts. Laxus listened and looked at her with a smile, and it seemed like a proud smile. This caused her to blush. But bickslow and his babies cheering for her quickly snapped her out of any blushing, and she just shook her head. Freed got her another drink as soon as she finished her current one.

"You're really coming into your own Ember. It may have took awhile, but it looks like you are finally fitting in with everyone." Freed smiled.

"Well, little steps. Not everyone." Ember laughed.

"Natsu is a huge step! He was the one against you the most! I would say that's a big step!" Cana cheered.

"Yes, I agree. That little punk finally backed off. Good riddance." Laxus chuckled.

"But we are your REAL friends, right Ember?" Evergreen cooed.

"Of course! I love you guys!" Ember smiled brightly.

Evergreen squeezed her into a hug, and Bickslows babies repeated "friends friends" in their horrifying devil children voices. Mira arrived with a small plate of food and put it down in front of Ember. She ate it down so fast that you would have never thought there was even any food there.

"Oh, so me and Mira came up with this awesome idea." Cana said.

"What is it?" Ember asked, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"We think we should convince the other girls to have us all have a sleepover at Lucy's place. They really need to get to know you." Cana smiled, waiting for a reaction.

"I would be okay with that." Ember said and Mira and Cana high fived each other.

"I adore you Ember darling, but I will not be participating in that. I could never spend a night with Lucy and Levy. Ugh." Evergreen rolled her eyes.

"Awww Ever!" Ember pouted.

"Who cares, we don't want you there anyways!" Cana laughed, punching Evergreen in the arm.

"Well, if it means anything, I think it sounds like a good idea to break the tension." Freed said.

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So here they all were, at Lucy's. Ember couldn't believe that the plan actually worked out. She was convinced the other girls would never go for it. But she assumed that Natsu's shift in attitude had a lot to do with it, and Ember definitely wasn't against having more friends. She really liked the people of this guild, all of them, and she wanted them to like her too.

At the moment Ember had to sit still as Mira painted her toenails a weird green color. Lisanna sat next to her painting her fingernails an even weirder yellow. Cana was sitting by the window drinking liquor out of the bottle and talking pervertedly with Erza and Levy. Erza kept making Levy try on all of Lucy's naughty lingerie. This caused Lucy to turn red in embarrassment and yell swear words every few sentences. Juvia was even blushing at the scenario.

"Lucy why do you even have these things?" Levy blushed. She was so embarrassed. She was currently standing in front of a mirror in red booty shorts and a red lace bra, that didn't properly fit due to the difference in her and Lucy's breast size.

"Maybe she goes out in her spare time and seduces the guys of Magnolia. Cause we know she doesn't have a boyfriend!" Cana laughed.

"I DO NO SUCH THING!" Lucy yelled, a vein popping out of her forehead.

"Oh Juvia! This would look great on you!" Erza squealed. She held up an ice blue see through flowy dress with white feathers around where her cleavage would be and a skimpy pair of matching underwear. Juvia turned bright red.

"Yes! Gray would love that outfit Juvia, it's ICE BLUE!" Cana couldn't contain her laughter anymore. Her face was getting flush from the alcohol.

"Oh my! I….I'm so embarrassed! But….." Juvia trailed off. Immediately she started rambling off a fantasy. " I could go wait for Gray at his place, in that beautiful sexy Teddy, and he would come home while I lay seductively on the bed. He will come over to Juvia and take me into his arms, and tell me how much he loves me. Oh this kissing! The way he will kiss Juvia!"

Juvia had literal hearts in her eyes and her blush was so red it white washed her skin. She was curled up on the floor in a daze. Cana erupted into a fit of laughter and fell off her seat, holding her sides. Her eyes were even watering. Levy and Lucy giggled uncontrollably, and Erza tried to hide her laughter.

"Did you guys break Juvia?" Mira said from the bed, not taking her eyes of of Ember's toes.

"I think they did Mira. I think they did." Ember laughed.

"That girl has one vibrant imagination." Lisanna giggled.

Erza threw the ice blue lingerie on top of Juvia. And then she passed another set to Levy to put on. It was a pink cat suit that had long sleeves but the legs were shorts. Levy's hands shook as she went to go put it on, but when she came out of the bathroom in it, it actually fit her perfectly. She looked in the mirror and secretly liked it. And had even more secret naughty thoughts.

"Erza stop giving away all my stuff!" Lucy cried.

"You have enough of it. You won't miss anything. Oh, and I am taking this." Erza said and re-quipped into a get-up similar to the one she threw to Juvia, except it was white. Lucy fell backwards and just laid on the floor groaning.

"So uhm….to steer away from the naughty stuff " Ember started but was interrupted.

" Why do you want some? I can find something for you, I am sure she will have something to fit you. I'm sure you have someone…..possibly one of the Thunder Legion guys." Erza smirked.

"No! No, to all of it. I don't want any, and I don't have….a guy….or anything. Besides, no one in the thunder legion is my type. I don't think." Ember blushed.

"Laxus." Cana coughed, taking another swig of booze.

"What? No. It's not like that at all!" Ember shrieked.

"I'm only joking with you girly." Cana winked. But Ember could see Mira smiling even though her head was down.

"Anyways…..I wanted to talk about magic. I don't really know what kind of magic everyone uses." Ember said.

"Oooh good topic! I use Tarot Card Magic. It's the bomb. I can do almost anything with it. I even got chosen to do the S-class exam!" Cana bragged.

"Well I am S-class, and I can re-quip my armor and weapons while fighting to one out of over 100 outfits!" Erza bragged even harder, holding her head high.

"I'm S-class too. But I don't fight much anymore. I use transformation magic. Satan Soul is my base, but I have three different forms I can use." Mira chirped.

"Oh! I do transformation magic too! It's not as good as my big sisters, but it's cool. Mine is Animal Soul. Our brother Elfman does Beast Soul." Lisanna smiled.

"Juvia is water. She controls water." Juvia said calmly.

"Solid script over here! Whatever I write out is what the attack is." Levy said proudly.

"And I am a Celestial Wizard. I actually have 10 of the Zodiac keys, which is a huge accomplishment. My spirits are also my friends. What is your power?" Lucy asked.

"Nothing like any of yours! I couldn't even compare it. I mostly use Hell Fire and some other attacks by summoning." Ember said sheepishly.

"I would like to see that in action sometime." Erza smiled.

"Oh. Thanks." Ember blushed.

"Alright, well, that's enough." Cana sighed, and then let out a loud burp.

She turned her bottle upside down to show that it was empty. The girls assumed that she was just saying she had had enough booze. But she was starting to climb out the window, and she was being sloppy about it.

"Cana! What are you doing? This is the second floor!" Levy cried out.

"Uhhh I know. I'm going to meet Baccus somewhere for drinks." Cana smirked.

"Don't you think you had enough Cana? You don't need to be going out drinking with that drunk dog!" Lucy laughed.

"Oh shut up you….you….eeehhh whatever. Bye." And with that Cana disappeared out the window. Erza looked out to make sure she landed okay and didn't break anything. She was already walking down the street, so Erza closed the window.

"Who is Baccus?" Ember asked.

"Oh, a drinking buddy of Cana's. He's a wizard from the guild Quatro Cerberus." Mira answered. Ember just nodded.

Mira had finally finished Ember's toe nails. Her eyes were heavy with sleep, and she yawned. She stretched her arms out and turned over on the bed, curling up and quickly falling asleep. Ember could already hear her light snores.

"Wow she falls asleep fast." Ember laughed.

"Yup. She does." Lisanna nodded.

"So what now?" Ember asked. "Bed time?"

"No. How about, we talk about BOYS!" Lisanna cheered.

Levy, Lucy, and Erza all perked up. Ember didn't even know how to have a conversation about boys. She was never around boys as much in her life as she had been as a member of Fairy Tail. What do you even say when talking about boys?

"Guys, I've never really talked about boys. Remember, traveling alone? Isolation? Forests?" Ember laughed.

"Well it's pretty much you just talk about the boys you know and what you like or don't like about them. We will help you out. Erza, you don't have to participate, we know that if you even look at a boy all you see is Jellal!" Lisanna giggled.

"Watch it Lisanna!" Erza threatened, but she couldn't hide her smile. "I will definitely listen in though. Should be interesting."

"Okay so let's all sit in a circle." Lisanna instructed.

All the girls got on the floor and sat in a circle. It went Lisanna, Levy, Juvia, Lucy, Ember. Erza sat outside the circle. This was all very weird to Ember.

"Okay so we will go around the circle. I will say a guy, and then say what I think about him. Then Levy will say her opinion, then Juvia, then Lucy, then Ember. And it will continue this way. Got it?" Lisanna, the obvious ringleader. "Okay. First guy, Gray. He's cute, but he's too cold. Brrrr!"

"I agree, to cold."

"Juvia only has eyes for Gray."

"He's one of my best friends. But yeah, he's cold."

"The stripping thing is weird. But he seems like an okay guy."

Juvia let out a sigh of relief. No one seemed to be interested in Gray. She had no love rivals tonight.

"Hmm. Laxus. He's handsome, but he's a total jerk."

"Not handsome. Just a jerk."

"Juvia only has eyes for Gray."

"He scares the crap out of me."

"Um, he's one of my first friends in the Guild. He's not that bad, but he is cocky."

"Next is…..Gajeel! Too much metal. Way to rugged."

"I like the ruggedness!"

"Juvia only has eyes for Gray."

"Ew. Sorry Levy, but just, no."

"He's intimidating. I'm scared to be near him. But Levy, damn girl, you do your thing!"

"I would say Romeo, but we all know that's Wendy's heart throb! Heehee! So I will go with Bickslow. Totally weird."

"Nope."

"Juvia only has eyes for Gray."

"Eeehhhh."

"He's…..creepy."

"Alright then. Freed. His magic is AWESOME. But, I think he likes Laxus more than he could like any of us."

"I agree with you Lisanna."

"Juvia only has eyes for Gray."

"I kind of agree. He gets super weird around girls in bikinis! I think he's kind of handsome though."

"He is handsome. But the Laxus thing, that's confusing."

"Hmm okay, Natsuuuu. I adore him. He's so cute."

"He's kind of a dunce. But he's admirable. And strong."

"Juvia only has eyes for Gray."

"Natsu. Hmm. I don't think my life would be the same without him."

"He's pretty great once he decides not to be a jerk. We ended up having a lot of fun on our last mission,"

Lucy and Lisanna both looked at Ember. Ember saw something in their eyes that she didn't like. Was it jealousy? Were they how Juvia was with Gray, but with Natsu? Ember cleared her throat and smiled. She didn't know what else to do. She wasn't going to talk bad about Natsu just because her thinking he's a cool guy would strike jealousy into someone. Besides, in her opinion, neither of them should assume anything. As far as Ember knew, she didn't have any interest in boys. She only wanted to make friends, not love connections.

"So, I take it that it's bed time?" Erza sighed.

"Yeah." Lucy and Lisanna said.

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Ember woke up with a yawn so large that it made her jaw pop. She rubbed her eyes and smiled up at the ceiling. It had been a late night, and maybe a little awkward towards the end, but overall she had a lot of fun. It was nice being able to sit around with the girls of the guild and talk about magic and boys, and do each others nails. And torture Lucy with giving away her naughty underwear. She was sleeping on the floor next to Erza, who was tangled up in a blanket with one of her legs over Ember's legs. She slowly and quietly got her leg free without waking Erza up. She rolled over, a smile still on her face, but when she looked at the floor next to her something didn't seem right. Her scythe was gone. She had set it down right next to her when she went to sleep. But it wasn't there.

Sitting up quietly so she didn't wake anyone up, she scanned the room with her eyes, thinking maybe she had leaned it against one of the walls. But no, she didn't see it anywhere. Her scythe wasn't just a weapon, it was her loyal and cherished friend Nunu. Her heart started pounding and she began to feel like her skin was on fire. Her stomach turned as if she was going to vomit. Once she started panicking, she couldn't stop so easily.

She jumped up and accidently kicked Erza. She groaned and rubbed her eyes, mumbling as she sat up. Ember ran around the room searching everywhere and calling out for Nunu. Mira woke up next and immediately caught onto what was going on. She knew about Nunu, so she knew that Ember was frantically searching for her scythe, that must have gone missing at some point in the night. Ember accidently tripped over Juvia, causing her to wake up startled. Lucy and Lisanna didn't move, but Mira knew they were awake. This made her suspicious.

"Nunu? NUNU?" Ember cried out. She started to get dressed and gathering her things.

"What are you saying?" Erza asked confused.

"Ember, try to calm down." Mira said in a calm voice.

"Not here. Not here. I have to check the guild hall. Maybe I forgot him." Ember mumbled and rushed out the door.

Mira, Erza, and Juvia rushed out after her. Levy sat up yawning and rubbing her eyes, and noticed people missing. Lucy and Lisanna were giggling.

"What the hell is a nunu?" Lucy chuckled.

"Who cares." Lisanna laughed.

"What….did you guys do?" Levy gasped.

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Ember stormed into the guild hall startling everyone inside. Natsu, Gray and Happy looked up from their breakfast in confusion. Cana and Laxus turned around on their bar stools. Macao and Wakaba looked up from their morning coffee and smokes. Mira, Juvia, and Erza ran in shortly after her. Ember ran around the guild hall frantically, tears starting to stream down her face. She was still calling for Nunu. No one knew what the hell she was saying except for Mira, and now Natsu. He got up from the table and walked over to Mira, knowing that she also knew of the hellhound.

"What's going on?" Natsu whispered. "I know about the hellhound."

"Oh Natsu. Her scythe went missing sometime while we were sleeping. She's absolutely frantic." Mira whimpered.

"Who would take her scythe?" Natsu said through gritted teeth,

"I have an idea. But I hope I'm wrong." Erza said.

Mira, Juvia, and Natsu looked at Erza. She had an angry look on her face, her hands on her hips. She kept looking at the door as if she was waiting for something, or someone, to burst through it.

Ember stopped running around, she was gasping for breath. She dropped to her knees. She had no more energy to run around. She slammed her fists on the ground and cried, shaking her head. Who would do this? And why? Why was Nunu missing?

Someone screamed. A glass knocked onto the floor and broke. Ember looked up and saw her huge hell hound lumbering down the stairs from the second floor. He ran right to her and began to lick her face. She wrapped her arms around his neck tighter than she had ever done before. Her tears turned into tears of joy and she started to laugh. Everything was better now. He was here. She must have just forgot her scythe here overnight, and as soon as Nunu realized she was in the building he came to her.

"What the hell is that thing?" Gray screeched, jumping onto the table and getting ready to freeze the giant dog.

"He's friendly, don't worry. His name is Nunu, it's Embers pet. Well, her scythe too." Mira explained.

"Excuse me, what?" Cana asked from the bar.

"Wow, that's fucking incredible." Laxus laughed.

Levy, Lucy, and Lisanna ran through the door out of breath. Levy ran right to Mira and Erza and asked what had happened. They told her and she covered her mouth with a gasp. Then she saw the hellhound that Ember was hugging and her eyes lit up.

"Oh wow! Is that what I think it is?" Levy squealed.

"A hellhound. Yes." Erza laughed.

"That's so amazing! I've read about them! I never thought they were so huge!" Levy giggled.

Lisanna and Lucy walked up to join them, but they were not warmly welcomed. Levy turned around and for the first time ever gave Lucy, her closest friend in the guild, a dirty look. She wouldn't even look at Lisanna. Mira handled the dirty look for Lisanna, making sure her Satan Soul eyes came through. Lisanna looked at the ground. Erza and Natsu didn't even look at them, they just walked away and gave them the cold shoulder. Lucy and Lisanna looked at each other, they had been found out. At the time they had only thought it a harmless prank, but now they saw that it wasn't funny at all. They felt like garbage.

Ember stood up and everyone watched on as Nunu amazingly turned back into the scythe. She strapped the weapon to her back and turned to look at everyone.

"I'm sorry everyone. You shouldn't have found out about my pet that way. Trust me, he is friendly. And yes, he turns into the scythe that I wield as a weapon. I can summon his hellhound powers through it in battle. I really am sorry if he scared anyone. I must have accidentally left my scythe here before I left last night." Ember said with a sheepish smile. She blushed in embarrassment.

"Don't apologize, that wolf thing was the coolest creature I have ever seen!" Macao yelled from his table.

"No doubt about it." Wakaba nodded.

"He scared me at first, but yeah, he's pretty awesome." Gray laughed.

"Well Ember, now you don't have to hide him all the time!" Mira said happily. Ember nodded.

"I'm going to go home though. I will be back in a little while. Again, apologies for any scares." Ember said with a nod and started making her way to the door.

"Wait a second." Erza called out. "You didn't forget it here. Is that right?"

Erza shot a look to Lucy and Lisanna. They cowered, but let out a large sigh. They straightened up and turned to Ember. They both had regretful looks on their face, but with every word that came out of their mouths, Ember's anger got worse and worse.

"We are so sorry Ember. We thought it was just a harmless prank." Lisanna whimpered.

"But we were wrong and it wasn't funny. This really isn't like us to do something like are so very sorry. I hope you can forgive us." Lucy sighed.

"I wouldn't blame her if she never did. You stole her buddy and hid him from her! That's like if someone took Happy from me and hid him! I'm so disappointed in the both of you," Natsu yelled.

"Aye!" Happy chirped.

"Wow Natsu, that was a mature thing to say, I'm shocked." Gray laughed.

"SHUT UP GRAY!" Natsu shouted.

"Yeah. Well I don't know if I can forgive you yet. But thank you for being honest with me." Ember said, anger burning like charcoal in her eyes. She gave everyone else one last nod and then disappeared through the doors. Lucy and Lisanna sat down at a table and put their heads down, thinking about what they had done, and how they would fix it.


	7. Chapter 7

Lucy and Lisanna had been sitting and pondering the prank they had pulled on Ember for about two hours. Neither one of them could figure out what was making them act out in such a way. Both of them were the friendly type, befriending close to everyone and everyone. Lucy had even befriended opponents she was supposed to be fighting against before, just because she could see that they were actually good people beyond their darkness. Lisanna normally didn't have a mean bone in her body. Even her transformation magic was cute and cuddly.

"Why are we acting like this Lisanna?" Lucy whimpered.

"I don't know Lucy. Even Natsu is mad at us. Erza was so mad she left." Lisanna sighed.

"Levy is mad at me! I can't believe it. I don't know what to do."

The two girls sighed heavily and sat in a cloud of their own gloom. Their dramatic and jealous actions were now driving their friends away. Lisanna's own sister was giving her the cold shoulder. Lucy and Lisanna both looked up as two people approached their table. For a split second they were about to smile, thinking it was Natsu and Gray coming over to make sure they were alright. But no such luck. It was Cana and Evergreen.

The two women looked down at Lisanna and Lucy with anger and a hint of revenge twinkling in their eyes. They had their hands on their hips and looked like moms ready to confront their children for skipping school.

"Nasty trick you two brats pulled." Evergreen sneered.

"W-We're sorry." Lisanna stammered.

"I don't think sorry is going to cut it this time." Cana smirked.

"Wh-what?" Lucy whined.

Cana and Evergreen looked as if they were standing in a cloud of darkness. Pure negative energy was consuming them. Their eyes looked nothing short of evil. Evergreen reached up and grabbed her glasses, lowering them down her nose. Lucy and Lisanna quickly looked away with a gasp, knowing that if they made eye contact with Evergreen when her glasses came down that they would turn into stone statues. A tarot card landed on the table in front of them, numbers ticking down to 1 from 3 like a bomb. Lucy and Lisanna jumped up from the table as the card exploded, turning the table into splinters and throwing them to the ground with it's force. Cana and Evergreen laughed so hard they had to hold their stomachs.

This caught the attention of everyone in the Guild Hall. Besides Cana and Evergreens laughter there was nothing but silence. Lucy and Lisanna's heavy breathing shook their ribs. They looked at each other and smiled. The cloud of negative energy had passed onto them, and they both stood up. Lisanna transformed herself into a cat-human hybrid and threw herself at Evergreen. She managed to scratch her with her claws, from one side of her face to the other. Lucy grabbed one of her keys and opened the Zodiac Gate of Cancer the Crab. The Crab Man lunged at Cana with his scissors and chopped off a large lock of her hair. Cana screeched in shock.

"What the fuck Lucy? Oh, you are done for!" Cana growled. She threw a card at Lucy's head that did the same exact thing to her, cut off a chunk of her hair. Lucy cried out in shock.

"No! AAAHHHH!" Lucy cried out.

"Bye bye Lisanna!" Evergreen snickered, shooting a flurry of kinetic exploding sparkles directly at her opponent. But Lisanna transformed herself to have wings like a bird, and she dodged the attack, flying towards the ceiling of the guild hall and laughing.

"Whoa now ladies! Calm down!" Macao called from his table.

"No need to wreck the guild hall. We can all get past this." Wakaba nodded.

All four girls turned and looked at the two older men. When their eyes met it was like something snapped in Macao and Wakaba. They both stood up, ready to battle. Macao sent purple sticky flames at Lisanna, knocking her to the ground. Wakaba sent a smoke bomb at Cana, knocking her off her feet.

"DON'T HIT MY SISTER! YOU'RE NO MAN!" A booming and raging voice shouted.

Macao and Wakaba looked behind them as the gigantic Elfman rushed at them, one of his arms a scaled and clawed Beast arm. He swiped at the both of them, knocking them both to the ground. Romeo stood up and shouted at Macao "Dad! Are you alright?". Macao nodded at his son and picked himself up off the floor. But Romeo focused his attention to Elfman, and sent a golden sulfur flame straight at Elfman's nose. Elfman stumbled back gagging and smacking at his own face.

"OOOOO IT SMELLS!" He shouted.

"Big brother!" Lisanna yelled from the floor. Rubbing her butt as it throbbed from hitting the ground so hard.

"Elfman!" Evergreen cried, and ran to him.

Levy jumped in front of Evergreen before she could get to Elfman, and smirked. Evergreen looked at her in confusion. "Really Levy?" she laughed.

But a solid script of fire knocked right into Evergreen, knocking her to the floor and burning her clothes. Evergreen squealed in embarrassment, struggling to cover herself. Elfman ran to her and picked her up, shielding her from prying eyes with his huge muscled arms. Levy laughed but was knocked forward by a huge gust of wind. She turned around and saw Wendy standing there, her pigtails swirling in a vortex of her own sky magic.

"Wendy not you too!" Carla cried out.

"Carlaaaaaa!" Pantherlilly shouted as he flew at Carla with his sword drawn. She sprouted wings and dodged the sword before it could come down on top of her head.

"LILLYYYYY NOOOOOOO!" Happy cried.

"Now the exceeds are even fighting? What the hell is going on here?" Freed gasped from over at the bar.

"Oh my!" Mira snickered.

Bickslow lifted up his helmet, his eye glowing green. He turned to Laxus but Laxus was too fast, blasting him with a bolt of lightning before Bickslow could control his soul. Bickslow fell to the ground, his tongue hanging out of his mouth, his babies crying out for him. Laxus just leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, listening to the chaos erupt around him.

"Juvia got you now love rival!" Juvia cackled, sending a funnel of water right at Lucy. Lucy jumped out of the way in time, just as Gray froze the funnel of water and it fell to the ground with a crash.

"Are you kidding me Juvia?" Gray freaked.

"Heads up ice cube!" Natsu snickered.

Gray looked up to see Natsu coming down on him with a fist of fire. He ice-maked a shield to block the attack. Natsu's fire melted the shield, but his attack didn't hit. He then turned his attention to Romeo, and a battle of flames broke out. Natsu accidentally ate Romeo's sulfur flame and fell to the ground gagging on the taste and smell. Gray turned and locked eyes with Freed. His arms turned into two ice swords and he charged.

"Yeah, right." Freed laughed.

Gray crossed a barrier of runes and fell to the ground, a force pressing down on him not allowing him to get back up. Juvia gasped and ran to Gray's aid, and the same thing happened to her. The two of them lay on the ground, pressed down by pounds of pressure.

"Goddammit Freed!" Gray growled.

"Gravity barrier!" Freed laughed.

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Ember walked into the guild hall and her jaw fell to the floor. She looked around as her guild mates all competed in a battle royale. She walked over to the bar where Mira sat watching the action. Laxus stood close by, his eyes still closed. They seemed to be the only two not participating.

"Mira, what the hell is going on?" Ember asked.

"Oh, this is normal." Mira giggled.

"A little more serious than normal, but yeah, this happens all the time. Idiots." Laxus scoffed.

"How come you two didn't get pulled into it?" Ember laughed.

"Oh, I never do." Mira smiled.

"I knocked out Bickslow with a lightning attack. He thought he was going to control my soul." Laxus smirked.

Ember nodded and sat down. She kept her back turned to the chaos that was happening around her. But she could feel the negative energy raising the hair on her arms. She began to shake. She couldn't let it get to her. She would not let herself get dragged into this. If she lost control she could possibly hurt someone, and she was not about to let that happen.

"What in the world?" Erza exclaimed as she entered the building.

She looked around in shock at all her friends shooting magic attacks at each other. Makarov's jaw dropped as he walked in behind her. So much damage! So so soooo much damage! Behind Makarov was Porlyusica. She shook her head and smacked Makarov in the back of the head.

"I thought you had it all under control Makarov?" She sneered.

"I...I...I do." The Master stammered.

"No, you don't. This negative energy is dangerous you old fool."

Ember turned around, sensing Porlyusica. She looked at the old woman, and the noticed that she had already been looking at Ember. She turned back around, her hands shaking. She could feel Erza, Makarov, and Porlyusica approaching her.

"Good afternoon Master! Erza! Porlyusica!' Mira beamed.

"What's up gramps?" Laxus said.

"Good afternoon kids. Laxus, I am glad to see you are not in the middle of this." Makarov sighed. Laxus just laughed.

"Eh, I already took out Bickslow." Laxus snickered.

"Oooooh you good for nothing grandson!" Makarov sighed.

"Ember, I think it's about time you told everyone the truth." Porlyusica said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Master?" Ember turned around shocked, looking down at the old man.

"Yes my child. It is time. This has gone on long enough." Makarov nodded.

"What the hell are you all talking about?" Laxus asked, pushing himself from the wall and coming closer.

"If you stop hiding yourself, the negative energy will stop spreading like a disease. Keeping these types of things bottled up inside can cause major issues. Like what is happening right now." Porlyusica said.

"This is my fault?" Ember whined.

"Not directly. But yes. You are a child of darkness, and that darkness is a part of you. Because you have decided to struggle with it, it easily passes onto those that are close to you. I am sure you noticed a lot of people acting in negative ways. But if you come to accept it, and be open about it, the negative energy will not be so free flowing." Porlyusica explained.

"But, I don't think…..I'm ready. Or that anyone else is ready." Ember stammered.

"It doesn't matter." Porlyusica snapped.

"Ember, I don't know what's going on, but we already accept you. There is nothing you can tell us that will change that." Erza said with a reassuring smile.

Ember looked at Makarov, and he nodded. She let out a sigh and swallowed down the lump in her throat. She nodded her agreement.

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Makarov took his seat on top of the bar. Mira, Laxus, Erza, Ember, and Porlyusica stood or sat close by him. Porlyusica removed a vial of liquid from her satchel and shook it up. When she opened it a wispy pink smoke rose out of it and started to spread around the guild hall, a sweet and calming scent traveling with it. As it reached people's noses they all stopped fighting and quickly calmed down. The realization of what had happened hit everyone at once, and they all looked to the Master for answers.

"What exactly is going on Master?" Macao asked, rubbing his face.

"Yeah, this negative stuff has gotten really weird." Cana coughed, grabbing a random drink off of one of the tables.

"It all has an explanation. I know some of you have been acting out in ways that you don't feel is normal of yourselves. And as you are all aware it all started when Ember came to join us. She is going to explain it to you. Please pay attention, and do not act rashly. Questions are welcome, but before anyone jumps to any conclusions, hear her out first." Makarov explained.

The Fairy Tail members nodded their understanding and took their seats. All their attention was now on Ember. She didn't sense the judging and negative feelings that she had felt from them when they looked at her in the beginning, and this made her more comfortable. She was about to undo the cap on the bottle of her secrets. Who she was. What she was. And where she came from. Anxiety racked her body, but the scent of the potion Porlyusica had released was helping her push it away. She assumed that everyone elses calmness was due to this potion as well. She wondered if she could get her hands on a bottle.

"Ok everyone. This may take awhile. It's kind of a long story. And I will be glad to answer any questions anyone may have." Ember gulped. Mira grabbed Ember's hand and looked at her with a smile.

"I'm here for you. Don't worry." Mira said kindly. Ember smiled and nodded. And with a sigh, she started to tell her story.

"As you all already know, I have a brother. His name is Erik, but you all know him better as Cobra of the former Oracion Seis. Me and Cobra were not exactly born, we were more like created by our 'Father'. You all also know our father. And before I give you his name, I need you to know that me and my brother dislike him just as much as all of you do. My father is Zeref. He created me and Cobra in a similar way that he created his demons. The difference is that he created his demons when he was 'awake' and with no appreciation for life in this world. He created me and my brother in one of his moments of 'sleeping'. When he actually has the ability to comprehend life. And in fact cares for it, but in the end he cannot help but leech the life from everything around him. Cobra is older than me so I don't know the details of his birth, but I was born out of the ashes of an Elm tree. Zeref created us in his time of sleep in order to one day defeat him. That was our original purpose.

Cobra was implanted with a Lacryma of Poison Dragon Slayer magic. But he was born with his power of hearing. The power to hear thoughts, movements, everything. I was given my scythe, which is also my hellhound Nunu, and the power to summon his magic. A hellhound's magic is powerful, and quite different than a lot of other natural magic found in Earthland. That is why I am not quick to use it. Anyways, I don't know the exact ages we were, but Cobra was taken from us by the cult that was building the Tower of Heaven. The same place Jellal, and Erza know. Some of you have been there. I thought my brother was dead until just recently. I was not taken because Zeref grabbed me and we hid in the forest. I had to sit by as my brother was taken. I will never forget that day. And I will never forget that Zeref did nothing.

After Cobra was taken things changed quickly. Zeref left me, and i only saw him in my moments of weakness when I couldn't control my darkness. Porlyusica saw this in the woods the night she found me and brought me here to be healed after the battle me and Natsu had and a few of my ribs were broken. But Zeref didn't leave me alone. He left me with a dragon. He left me with…..Acnologia."

The guild hall erupted into a cacophony of people talking at once. Raised voices, raised fists. Ember looked at the Master for reassurance, and he smiled at her. Mira was still holding her hand, and Laxus and Erza still stood close by. Porlyusica shook up another bottle of the calming pink potion and opened it's cap. The chattering turned to murmurs, then silence.

"Before I go any further, are there any questions?" Ember asked.

"Your father is really Zeref?" Gray shouted from the crowd.

"Yes. He created me. But he didn't raise me. Acnologia raised me. He is my dad."

"So that's why you have such an interest in dragons and dragon slayers?" Laxus asked.

"Yes. I will get more into that."

"You have a dragon for a dad too? Do you know where the other dragons are?" Natsu yelled excitedly.

"No, I do not know where Igneel, Metalicana, and Grandine are. I don't even know where Acnologia is at this time. You may have seen my dad, but I have not. Any more questions? No? Ok, I will continue.

I'm shocked that after hearing that I was raised by a dragon, that no one asked me if I was a dragon slayer. Well, the truth is, I am. I was raised by Acnologia to be a dragon slayer. I don't use my dragon slayer powers ever. And those of you who have met my dad, know why. The magic I was taught is destructive and chaotic. I will only ever use it if it is absolutely necessary. As you may know, Acnologia hates humans. He is a recluse and doesn't like his fellow dragons. At one time he was a human dragon slayer, but because of his disconnect from the lives of both lifeforms, Zeref aided in turning him into a dragon. Zeref brought me to Acnologia without knowing if the dragon would even kill me. And he just left me with him. Luckily, I was not harmed. I don't know why Acnologia raised me, or why he even cared for me. But he did. And I know he's horrible, and terrifying. But, he's my dad. And I want nothing more than to see him again. Once again, any questions?"

"You're really a dragon slayer?" Wendy shrieked.

"Yes Wendy." Ember laughed.

"Wait, so does that mean that when you insulted me and Natsu that first day you were being serious? DO I REALLY SMELL LIKE BLOOD?" Gajeel yelled.

"AND I SMELL LIKE FARTS? LIKE ROMEOS SULFUR FLAMES?" Natsu cried out.

"No! I only said the first thing that came to my head!" Ember laughed even harder.

"Then, what do I smell like? I'm curious." Gajeel smirked.

"Hmm well. Imagine sitting on a mountain. The smell of the rocks, the crispness in the thin air you find on top of mountains. That's what you smell like Gajeel." Ember smiled.

"That was poetic! And beautiful!" Levy swooned.

"Lame." Gajeel huffed.

"What about me?" Natsu shouted.

"Hah, you. Well Natsu. You smell like the aftermath of a forest fire. Burnt wood, fresh dark fertile Earth."

"That's AWESOME!" Natsu cheered.

"Are you curious Laxus?" Ember smirked.

"I would rather not participate in that. It's foolish." Laxus sighed.

"Okay well then. You know my past. And what I am. Now I will tell you why I came here. It's simple. I spent my life traveling on my own after Acnologia left me, just the way Zeref left me. No friends. No family. Fairy Tail is the guild talked about around the country. Your camaraderie and friendships reach the ears of even the smallest towns. I wanted that. I wanted a place to call home. People to call friends and family. So I finally came here. I told Master Makarov everything the day I arrived, and he chose to trust me. He gave me a chance despite my past. Much like he did with Gajeel and Juvia after they had been in Phantom Lord. The reason for all the weird negativity is because of my trying so hard to bottle up the darkness of my past, and who I really am. Doing that caused negative energy to radiate off of me and pass to other people. The reason Gajeel and Natsu disliked me at the beginning was not because of my scent. It was because of my disdain for myself. They sensed that and it rubbed off on them. Wendy had an opposite reaction, as did Laxus. They befriended me. I couldn't tell you why that is. And all of those of you that have had negative feelings that you can't explain. That's because you are hiding something from yourself. And, that's all. I hope you all can still trust me."

"Of course. Like you pointed out, me and Juvia had a dark past as well and we are just as much Fairy Tail as anyone else." Gajeel smirked.

"Exactly!" Levy chirped.

Ember couldn't contain her smile. It felt as if a weight had been lifted off her back. No more secrets. No more darkness. She finally had friends, a family, and a place to call home. She looked back at Mira and the Master, and they both smiled widely at her. Fairy Tail. She was home.

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"So that nasty thing we did to Ember really WASN'T us!" Lucy chirped.

"Thank goodness." Lisanna laughed.

Now that everything was out in the open everyone was already feeling more positive. But something seemed to be bothering Natsu. After Ember's story ended and the questions died down, he slipped into a slump. He sat with hunched shoulders and wasn't participating in anyones conversation.

"Natsuuu, why do you look sad?" Happy pouted.

"I'm not sad little buddy." Natsu said with a forced smile. He patted the top of Happy's head. He stood up and looked down at his friends. "I'm going to go home and get some sleep. I will see you guys later."

"You're not even going to eat dinner?" Lucy gasped.

Natsu just shrugged and left the guild hall, Happy flying behind him. Lucy and Lisanna looked at each other confused, but then just figured Natsu was probably just tired from all the current events and the burst of negative energy everyone was a victim of earlier. Levy and Lucy made up and started chattering like they usually did before all the negativity. Gajeel sat close enough to Levy that she could feel the warmth from his skin, and it made her feel even better. Erza walked up to the table, her sword clanking against her armor.

"Hi Erza!" Lucy and Levy chirped.

"Lucy. Levy." Erza nodded.

"So what did you think of Ember's story? I really want to see that dragon slayer magic of hers." Gray said.

"Me too actually. Now we have how many dragon slayers? Five? That's pretty impressive." Erza laughed.

"I bet she's stronger than fire breath." Gray chuckled.

"There's no way a dragon slayer who doesn't use their magic would be stronger than Natsu!" Lucy snapped, defending her friend.

"That's not true. But regardless, I doubt she's stronger than any of us." Gajeel nodded.

"Don't underestimate her. It could be a smack in the face." Gray smiled.

"Juvia thinks Gray likes Ember too much." Juvia sighed, a sad look taking over her face.

"What? You're being ridiculous again." Gray snapped.

"Anyways I came to say something to Lucy and Lisanna. You heard what was said. Your negativity was because of something you were hiding from yourselves. You might want to acknowledge what that thing is, and do something about it before it's too late." Erza said with a nod.

Lucy and Lisanna both looked at Erza in shock, but she just smiled at them. She turned and walked away making her way to the bar in Ember's direction. The two girls then looked at each other. They both knew exactly what Erza was talking about, and they knew she was right. They also knew that they had to take action. But which one of them would succeed in their action? If either of them succeeded at all?

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Cana had one arm around Ember's shoulders, and held a drink in her other hand. Mira stood behind the bar laughing and chatting with her friends. Bickslow was sitting next to Cana, but he was hanging his head because he couldn't stop thinking about when Laxus had shot him down. Freed sat next to Ember, drinking and laughing with the rest. Laxus had slipped out shortly after Ember's story without saying anything.

"Finally I get to be best friends with a dragon slayer! This. Is. Awesome!" Cana cheered.

"It is pretty cool!" Mira giggled.

"It's not that big of a deal guys." Ember laughed.

"It kind of is. I mean, I've always had Laxus, but it's kind of cool to have a female dragon slayer in our corner. Granted we have Wendy, but she can't sit and drink with us." Freed said and clanked mugs with Cana.

"Where's Evergreen?" Ember asked looking around.

"Oh her and Elfman left. She needed a change of clothes." Cana laughed.

"Poor Ever." Ember said with a sigh.

Freed nudged Ember's arm and tilted his head to signal to her to turn around. She turned around to see Erza approaching. She turned in her seat, causing Cana's arm to fall off her shoulders.

"Hello Erza." Ember smiled.

"Ember. I'm glad you are doing better, mentally. That was quite the story. You have a very interesting past." Erza smiled back.

"Uh, yeah I guess."

"I'm going to see what I can do about Cobra. Maybe Jellal can talk some sense into him. The truth may change things."

"I don't want to force anything."

"I said nothing about force. Anyways, I just had something to say. You might want to talk to Natsu. He left here earlier looking kind of upset."

"Why would he leave upset? I don't understand."

"Well, from what I gather you and him actually bonded on your last mission. And he just found out you were a dragon slayer. He's sensitive when it comes to dragon slayers. He is probably just upset that you didn't tell him."

"Oh. I never thought of that. I'll stop by his place on my way home."

"Sounds good."

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Night had fallen, and not many civilians were out on the streets of Magnolia anymore. The moon hung high in the sky it's light lighting up the walkway. The stars were out in high numbers. The sound of the crickets singing was relaxing as it orchestrated the blinking lights of the lightning bugs. Ember looked down at the directions Erza had written down for her to get to Natsu's house. She almost missed it because there was no light outside. A wooden sign was perched at the beginning of the walkway saying "Natsu and Happy" in handwritten letters. Ember walked up to the front door and knocked.

She stood in the dark waiting for an answer, listening for any movement inside. She knew he was home, she could smell him. And she didn't hear him snoring so she knew he wasn't asleep. "Natsu, it's Ember. Please answer the door." She said quietly. It took a few minutes but the door eventually creaked open, Natsu's head poking out.

"Why are you here?" He asked.

"It was brought to my attention that you left the guild hall upset. If it has anything to do with me, I would like to know why."

Natsu stepped outside, shutting the door behind him. His eyes and pink hair were bright in the light of the moon. Brighter than even her eyes and her blue braids. He leaned against his door, looking towards the ground.

"What is it Natsu?"

"I just….why didn't you tell me you were a dragon slayer?"

"I didn't tell anyone. I'm sorry."

"But….us dragon slayers. We need to be there for each other."

"I've never had anyone there for me before, so I didn't understand. Again, I am sorry."

Ember caught the glimmer of a tear falling down Natsu's face. This caught her off guard and she took a step back. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. She looked at him, her eyes wide. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what was going on.

"Natsu…."

"Igneel has been gone since I was a kid. It's been so many years now. I don't know where he is. But, I saw your dad."

"I know, and he almost killed you all. He was the reason you all got stuck in a time freeze for 7 years. I'm...sorry."

"If Acnologia is still alive, and around….that must mean...that Igneel…."

"Very likely."

"But why hasn't he shown himself to me?"

"Remember, none of us have seen our parents. You may have seen Acnologia, but I haven't seen my dad since I was a child either."

"It's not just that…"

"What else?"

"These feelings. I don't understand them."

He was looking at her now. Their eyes locked in a silent dance. She didn't know what he meant by feelings he didn't understand. Her only thought was that maybe he meant the negative feelings he had been having up until this day. And now that all the negative energy was gone, he was having a hard time adjusting.

"What feelings Natsu?"

"I feel connected to you in some way."

"It's just because we are both dragon slayers. Nothing more than that."

"But I didn't feel this with Gajeel, or Wendy. Not the same."

"It's because Wendy is a child. And Gajeel is another male. Naturally you are competitive with Gajeel, and protective of Wendy. But I'm a female close to your age. It's a different kind of closeness."

"Are you saying that I….LIKE YOU?"

"No no! Nothing like that. Besides, I think everyone knows that if you LIKE anyone, it definitely isn't me."

"What do you mean?"

"Hmm….a girl with pale hair comes to mind."

Natsu looked at Ember confused, and then it clicked in his head. He let out a long sigh and let go of her hand, wiping his face with the back of his hand. She smiled at him warmly, and he grabbed her into a hug. She hugged him back.

"Don't hide anything from me anymore, okay Ember? Family doesn't hide things from each other."

"Of course, Natsu."

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Ember thought about her conversation with Natsu her entire walk home. She thought it was so innocent, and rather cute, that Natsu mistook his feelings of closeness to another dragon slayer as a crush or other romantic feelings. Natsu didn't seem like the type to understand such feelings, and it was pretty clear that he wasn't. But that didn't mean he didn't have them, just that he didn't know how to put the pieces together to make sense of them. Ember hoped her little hint helped him. It was obvious that Natsu had such feelings, and that they very clearly were not for Ember. But it was up to him to figure out such a matter for himself. It was a part of growing up into a man that he would have to embrace eventually.

She was still in high spirits as she walked up the stairs to get to her room. Her landlady wasn't around tonight, which was good. She knew her rent was due tomorrow. Luckily she had it put away. The last thing she wanted was to be back in the woods. She loved her little home. She unlocked her door and went inside, leaning her scythe against the wall as she hung up her cloak and put her backpack on the breakfast table. She switched on the lights and noticed there was someone sitting at the breakfast table. She jumped into the air with a startled shriek. It was Laxus, sitting there with his coat hanging on the back of his chair and his arms crossed. How did she not smell him? She really needed to start paying attention.

"Laxus….WHY ARE YOU IN MY HOUSE?" Ember shouted.

"Calm down. Natsu does it to Lucy all the time." Laxus snickered.

"We are not Natsu and Lucy!" Ember snapped.

"No, clearly." He smiled.

She wiggled the tension out of her shoulders and caught her breath. He had really startled her. He stood up from the table and walked over to her, getting so close that his electricity caused the hair on her arms and the back of her neck to stand on end. She could feel his body heat radiating through his clothes and through hers, hitting her skin. She looked up at him, meeting his eyes. The way he looked at her was totally different than any way he had ever looked at her before. She could feel her blood rushing to her cheeks, turning them bright red. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"You see, Lucy is just a little girl with big boobs. And Natsu, he couldn't handle a solid and strong woman. Not like you anyways." He smirked.

"Well, I'm sorry my boobs aren't as impressive as Lucy's. I was created to be strong and capable of damage, not given a cute little body for perverts to oogle over." Ember sneered.

"You misunderstand me. Sure Lucy may be a hot little thing. But you…...I'm not complaining." Laxus smiled.

He grabbed her hips and pulled her close against him. She could feel his fingertips digging into her soft flesh. The air around them lit up with sparks. She felt as if a power surge was making it's way through her veins. She didn't know what do with her hands, so she rested them on Laxus's chest. She was too shy to continue eye contact, so she looked down.

"So Ember. What do I smell like?" He asked. His voice low, seductive.

"The build up of an oncoming thunder storm. The impending rain, the chaotic air. The electricity that burns through the clouds." Ember breathed.

"Seems fitting, for a woman that smells of the Earth after it rains." He said, leaning down close to her ear.

She could feel her body shaking. Every nerve ending lightning up like fire crackers. She felt one of his hands travel up her back and then resting on her face, cupping her chin in his large hand. He tilted her head up so she was looking at him. Without even thinking her hands traveled from his chest and arrived at the headphones over his ears. She grabbed them and threw them off his head. He held her against him and kissed her, his hand tangling itself in her long hair. She buried her hands in his hair and grabbed his shaggy long spikes, letting herself fall into him and the kiss. His power filled the room with hers. And it felt like they were standing in the center of a storm cloud.

He spun her around and tossed her onto the bed, hard. She landed on her back, breathing heavily. He stood at the side of the bed, smiling down at her. She propped herself up on her elbows. Unable to even piece together any coherent thoughts she just looked at him, not saying anything.

"Does the union of two dragon slayers scare you? The damage we may cause?" He said, slowly unbuttoning his shirt.

"Not at all." Ember breathed, a fang toothed smirk appearing on her face.

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"You broke the bed?" Cana shrieked.

"Dammit Cana keep your voice down!" Ember shushed.

"I'm more interested in how you guys blew all the fuses in the entire building." Mira laughed.

"Yeah my landlady was pretty confused. I told her someone broke in, so she is replacing the bed. But she didn't assume I had anything to do with the fuses, so that's good." Ember laughed.

"Wow. WOW. I need a man." Cana laughed.

"I'm here anytime Cana!" Bickslow butted in. His babies repeating "anytime anytime".

"Oh no, ew." Cana snorted, trying to hold in her laughter.

"I don't want to hear any of this! Nope!" Freed cried, covering his ears.

"Aww Freed. Such an awkward boy." Mira giggled.

"So where is your big tough dragon man now?" Cana winked.

"I don't know. Somewhere." Ember shrugged.

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Lisanna walked into the guild hall with a skip in her step. She had plans for the day, and she hoped from the bottom of her heart that they worked out the way she hoped they would. She scanned the room to see who was there until she spotted Natsu. She smiled brightly and ran over, plopping down in the seat next to him.

"Natsu, do you want to go to our old spot today? We can have a picnic! I made a ton of great food!" Lisanna chirped. Natsu looked at her, his eyes lighting up at the mention of food.

"Sure! When do you want to go?" He said.

"In a little bit. Let me go get everything and we can meet out there!" Lisanna squealed, excited for the day.

"Alright, sounds fun!" Natsu smiled.

Lisanna jumped up with the same perk in her step and left the guild hall. Natsu turned back to Lucy, who he had been having a conversation with before Lisanna popped up. Lucy looked totally distracted, like she had forgot her train of thought.

"Lucy, so what were you going to say?" Natsu asked.

"Uhm...uh...I totally lost my train of thought. Why don't I catch up with you later, after you get back from you and Lisanna's picnic." Lucy said with a heavy sigh. A hint of sadness in her voice.

"Oh, okay. See you here later then!"

Natsu and Happy got up and left, leaving Lucy and Juvia the only people at the table. Lucy sighed and hunched her shoulders. Juvia leaned close to her and put her head on her shoulder for comfort. Lucy smiled at her. Boys.


	8. Chapter 8

Natsu arrived at the spot him and Lisanna used to spend most of their time, the place where they hatched Happy's egg when it was sent from Edolas, Natsu thinking it would be a baby dragon. The straw hut they had built was long gone, and the grave he had made for her there when he thought she was dead was also gone. There was no reason to have a grave for her since she had come through the Anima from Edolas, being alive the entire time. But other than that, it still looked the same as it did when they were little kids. Playing husband and wife. Natsu smiled, the nostalgia of it hitting him like a strong wind.

Lisanna had laid out a large blanket in the grass. She sat cross legged on top of it, a basket brimming with food next to her. There was so much food the top couldn't close properly. Natsu could smell all the tasty treats and he started to drool. Lisanna noticed his arrival and started unpacking the picnic basket with a smile on her face. Natsu and Happy went and joined her on the blanket.

"This is a lot of food! Yum!" Natsu beamed.

"Well, I know you and Happy have a big appetite! I brought Happy plenty of his own fish." Lisanna giggled.

"Aye!" Happy cheered.

Lisanna passed around all the food. Natsu and Happy devoured it sloppily. She giggled the entire time watching them eat. Natsu really did eat like an animal. And Happy, being an actual animal, was no better. They both talked with their mouths full, food flying everywhere. They took bites when they hadn't even swallowed what they just chewed. It gave Lisanna a stomach ache just seeing it, but she also found it charming. There was no one in the world like Natsu and Happy. And it made her heart light up that she was able to spend time with them.

"I really couldn't understand most of the things you were saying." Lisanna laughed.

"Sorry. I don't even remember what I was saying." Natsu said, finishing off the last of the food.

Happy laid on his back groaning. He couldn't even open his eyes, his little white belly bloated and huge. He was so stuffed that his blue fur almost looked green. Lisanna hoped he wouldn't puke. Natsu's belly was bloated too, but he looked like he could take some more food down if there had been any left. Lisanna had barely eaten anything, so she was still kind of hungry. But she would eat when she went home.

"The sun is going to be setting soon." Lisanna smiled.

"That's right. Are we going to watch it? That was always your favorite." Natsu smiled back.

"I would love too!"

They turned towards where the sun would be setting. The sky was already turning a light shade of orange. They sat side by side, their shoulders touching. Lisanna rested her head on Natsu's shoulder, and he didn't make any effort to move away. Happy was silent and in a food coma. They sat in silence for awhile as the sun creeped closer and closer to the horizon. Beautiful shades of red, pink, purple and orange giant ribbons in the sky. The sun itself was a bright orange beacon of hope. Lisanna let out a sigh and lifted her head off Natsu's shoulder.

"Can I talk to you about something Natsu?"

"Of course. You can talk to me about anything."

"Well, before you say anything, hear me out. Arriving in Earthland from Edolas that day, and being able to let you know it was really me, and to hug you again. It was one of the best days of my life. I know that…..I know that we said a lot of things as kids. Like how we would get married, and how we were a family and stuff. I never expected any of that to carry over into our adult life. But the thing is Natsu, I've always loved you. You are one of the most important people to me. I love you more than a friend, more than just family. I want the way we acted as children, to be real."

Natsu looked at her, but she wouldn't make eye contact. Her face was flushed. Her silver white pixie cut hair framed her delicate face. She brought her knees up to her chin and hugged her legs. She knew that depending on what he said, she could very well start to cry right there. She could already feel the tears burning in her eyes, and the lump forming in her throat.

"Lisanna….." Natsu started.

"You don't have to say anything. I just thought you should know." She said in a low voice.

"No, listen. The day I saw you in Edolas, even though I didn't know it was really you, I was just happy to see that you existed somewhere. But when you were there that day in Earthland and you hugged me, that was also one of the best days in my life too. You have been in my life since I was a child. You are my family, and I do love you. But I just don't know in which way I love you. At the moment I am kind of confused. These kinds of things don't come natural to me. I've already been thinking about it. But….I need more time."

Lisanna looked him in the eyes, and he smiled at her. She smiled back. His response was better than she had expected. She had come to this picnic expecting straight up rejection. But here was Natsu, the infamously immature pink haired boy of Fairy Tail, telling her that he had been thinking about it, and just needed more time. Her heart filled with warmth as she realized that there was still hope. Just like the setting sun symbolized.

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Lucy walked along the river, balancing at the edge. The men in the boats yelled for her to be careful, like they always did. She wasn't worried, she never fell in. Plue, her white Nicola celestial spirit, followed close behind her. She could hear his shaking whenever he made a noise. He was always shaking. When they reached Lucy's house they left the edge of the river and went up to the second floor where Lucy's room was.

She hummed a tune as she unlocked her door and went inside, flipping on the light. As usual Natsu and Happy were laying on her bed. Happy was curled up and sleeping, but Natsu had just been sitting there in the dark, wide awake. He got up and sat cross legged on the bed.

"WHY ARE YOU HERE? UGH!" Lucy shouted.

"Hey Lucy!" Natsu grinned.

"I WANT TO GO TO BED!" she yelled.

"I thought you had something you wanted to talk to me about after my picnic with Lisanna? I'm sorry it's so late."

"Oh, yeah."

Lucy started to get nervous. If she really wanted to she could just shove him out the way he came in. Right out the window. It's not like she had never done it before. But she knew that she had to talk to him. It couldn't wait anymore. It was weighing too heavily on her chest. She needed to get it out, so that she could move on. Whether it went her way or not, she couldn't let this kind of stuff get in the way of her life anymore. She was growing up. It was time to act like it.

She walked over to the bed and sat down next to Natsu. Their arms were almost touching, and normally that wouldn't bother her, but right now it made her cheeks turn the color of pink roses. Her cheeks almost matched Natsu's hair. She clasped her hands together in her lap and let out a sigh.

"Jeez Lucy, what's wrong?" Natsu asked concerned.

"Nothing is wrong. I just have to say something, and it's kind of hard." She smiled.

"Hey now, it's only me! Don't sweat it." He shot her huge fanged smile.

"Well….here's the thing. We have been friends, close friends, for a long time. We are part of the same team. The same family. And I would never want that to change. So if I say anything out of line please tell me. But I never thought this would happen. I tried to deny it for the longest time, but I just can't keep it in anymore. It doesn't benefit anyone. I like you Natsu. Like, in a boyfriend kind of way. I've never actually had a boyfriend, so I don't know how that kind of stuff works. But, yeah. I like you in the boyfriend girlfriend kind of way. There, I said it."

"Wow, what a day."

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."

Natsu grabbed her hand and squeezed it. They locked eyes. She noticed that little pink roses had formed on his cheeks as well. Her palms started to sweat, and her heart started to race.

"Lucy. You are so important to me. But I don't understand these kinds of feelings yet. I've been thinking about it lately, and I just need more time to think. I don't know exactly how I feel right now when it comes to…..girls." Natsu sighed.

"Oh...Oh okay. Uhmm….thank you for being honest." Lucy nodded.

"Oooooo she loves you!" Happy chirped from out of nowhere.

"SHUT UP STUPID CAT!" Lucy yelled at him.

Natsu started to laugh, and it was contagious. Lucy started to laugh too, and then Happy. She looked at Natsu, his silly smile, his spiky pink hair. He was her best friend, but to her, he was way more than that. She could only hope that within time, he would feel the same way about her.

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Natsu climbed up the side of the building that Ember rented a room in. It was very similar to Lucy's, so he was going to go in her window just like how he got into Lucy's house when she wasn't home. Or even when she was home. Happy flew next to him. He reached Ember's window and it was already propped open to let the cool night air in. He noticed her light was off, so she was either not home, or sleeping. He decided that if she wasn't home he would wait for her, and if she was sleeping he would wake her up. He really needed to talk to her. He had such a weird day.

He got to the window and opened it wider, crawling inside. He ended up on top of the small breakfast table, in the dark. Happy flew in behind him and landed on the table. It was hard to see but he saw some movement on the bed, then he heard Ember giggle. He had no idea why she would be giggling in her sleep, but at least she was home.

"EMBER WAKE UP I NEED TO TALK TO YOU!" Natsu yelled.

"OH MY FUCKING HELL WHAT?" Ember shouted.

"WHO'S HERE?" A man's voice shouted from the bed also.

"It's Natsu, wait….is that Laxus?" Natsu asked.

"Oh jeez, Natsu….what are you doing here? Go away." Ember cried out.

"I need to talk to you, it's really important. And why is Laxus sleeping in your bed too?" Natsu said.

"Wow, this kid really can be dense sometimes." Laxus grumbled.

"Oh shut up!" Ember snapped. "Hold on Natsu let me put the light on."

She got off the bed, stumbling over things that were in her way. She howled as she stubbed her toe and then hopped to the light switch. She turned it on and Natsu looked at her, his face instantly turning red. He looked at Laxus on the bed and his face got redder. Happy covered his eyes. Ember walked back to the bed wearing nothing but a sheet she had wrapped around herself. She hurried back under the covers and pulled them up to her chin. She gave Natsu the evilest look.

"So what is it Natsu? It better be good for you to be climbing in my window in the middle of the night." She snarled.

"Uhm…..Ember….uuuuh….both of you…..can you….maybe….put some clothes on." Natsu stammered. His face was still bright red.

"Aren't you an adult now Natsu? At least age wise?" Laxus laughed.

"Stop, don't tease him." Ember smiled, smacking Laxus's chest.

"Please…..guys…." Now Natsu was looking at the ground.

Ember sighed and grabbed her sleep clothes off the floor. She got dressed under the covers. She handed Laxus his clothes but he just threw them back on the floor with an eyeroll. Ember sat up in bed and got on top of the covers, now dressed. Laxus stayed under the covers and sat up, but made sure the blanket covered everything except from his belly button up. Natsu looked up and his face started to return to it's normal color. He nudged Happy and the cat uncovered his eyes.

"Laxus is still naked like Gray!" Happy squeaked.

"Watch it cat." Laxus said, pointing his finger at Happy. Happy got closer to Natsu.

"Okay. Talk." Ember said, ready to listen.

"Two girls, two, came to me today and told me they had feelings for me. Like, more than friend feelings. Boyfriend feelings." Natsu sighed.

"Seriously? Which two girls?" Ember smiled.

"Lucy and Lisanna."

"Whoa, you go Natsu!" Laxus hooted.

"Don't be a pervert." Ember laughed.

"So, what do I do?" Natsu asked.

"How do you feel? About them? Do you like them that way?" Ember questioned.

"I'm not sure. These things….aren't normal." Natsu sighed.

"They are normal kid. You just aren't normal." Laxus laughed.

"Oh stoooop it! Well I can't help you until you know how you feel. You need to figure out which girl you have feelings for, if you have feelings for either of them." Ember said.

"How do I do that? Thinking about it isn't helping. I'm just getting more confused." Natsu huffed.

"Hmmm. Laxus? Anything to throw in? Your a guy." Ember said turning to Laxus.

"Well, let's see. Lucy is pretty hot, that body doesn't quit. But she is also pretty annoying. Lisanna is also hot, and she isn't so annoying. Besides, she was able to act like a wife when you guys were whiny little brats. Which would you rather have in your bed Natsu, the annoying big boobed blonde, or the sexy snow haired girl that's ready for marriage?" Laxus smirked.

"That's not how it works! You are terrible!" Ember gasped.

"Well I sleep in Lucy's bed all the time. And me and Lisanna used to sleep in the hut with Happy's egg all the time too." Natsu said matter-of-factly.

"Oh for crying out loud this kid. It went right over his head. Ember, this is all you." Laxus cracked up laughing.

"Ugh. Boys. Men. You all suck. Well Natsu, this may sound like it's taking it too far, but I think it has to be done. You have to kiss them." Ember said.

"Kiss them?" Natsu gasped.

"Yes. When you kiss them, you will have your answer."

"How will that give me an answer?"

"Because when you kiss someone, if there is something there, some form of feelings that mean something, then you will feel it. You will know."

"What will it feel like?"

"It will feel like being inside a storm cloud." Laxus interrupted. Ember's entire face turned red, and he put his hand on her lower back.

"Well, it might not feel exactly like that. It's different for everyone. But, it will be something like that. You will feel like you are on fire, your heart will race, your skin might tingle. Trust me, you will know." Ember smiled.

"I'm going to take your advice then. I trust you." Natsu nodded.

"Glad to hear it. Now get out!But hey, shut the light off first!" Ember laughed.

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"So you have a job for us today Master?" Erza asked, shoving cake into her mouth.

"Indeed. I am just waiting on some more of you kids to get here." Makarov nodded.

"Who are you sending?" Gray asked, sipping an ice water.

"You, Erza, Ember, Natsu, Gajeel, and Lucy." The Master answered.

"That's an interesting group. Gajeel?" Erza asked surprised.

"Well, Nasu and Ember have worked together, and now I need to see how Ember can work with Gajeel. It's important that the dragon slayers can work as a team. They are the most powerful that way." Makarov smiled.

"That actually makes sense. What exactly is the job?" Gray said.

"You all finally get to confront and defeat that wizard the Bone Crusher. The one Jellal told you about when you met Crime Sorciere in the woods. He's the one who can crush your bones without even touching you." Makarov laughed.

"How is that funny?" Gray yelled.

"Yeah old man, how is that funny?" Gajeel said, joining the table.

"It's really not. I'm just nervous." Makarov sighed.

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Natsu and Happy entered the guild hall and plopped down at the table. Natsu helped himself to a bite of Erza's cake, which caused her to smack him so hard he fell backwards. Gray and Gajeel laughed at him, but he got back up without a second thought about it. Seconds later Lucy showed up, and she seemed like she was in a good mood. She joined the table with smile, sitting next to Natsu as usual. Makarov was only waiting on one other person, and then he would repeat the mission to all of them at once.

Ember and Laxus walked through the door. They were talking about something that must have been hilarious because they were both laughing. Makarov's eyes got wide and then they lit up like a bunch of fireworks. Ember and Laxus walked over to him because they noticed him looking at them. Natsu saw them and his face turned red. This peaked Gajeel and Gray's curiosity, so they paid close attention to them as they talked to the Master.

"What is that ridiculous face old man?" Laxus laughed.

"Laxus…...Ember….." Makarov stammered, looking between the two of them. A smile reached across his face from ear to ear.

"Master, are you okay?" Ember asked.

"Laxus….does this mean, THAT I'M GOING TO GET GRANDKIDS?" Makarov freaked, his face so happy he looked years younger.

Ember's eyes bugged out of her head. Lucy snapped her neck to look at her. Natsu's face was still red. Gray spit out his water and Erza and Gajeel just laughed in shock.

"TO FAR GRAMPS! Getting a little ahead of yourself in your old age aren't you?" Laxus shouted at the old man.

"M-Master. I….don't even know what to say. We aren't even a couple." Ember blushed.

"What Ember? Seriously I will kill any asshole who tries anything with you. But yeah, no, we are not a couple!" Laxus yelled.

"Well in that case, I better not see any girls on your arm. But no, we are not a couple. Really." Ember nodded.

"Wow, way to get the old man's hopes up and then totally shoot him down." Gajeel snickered.

"Not a couple MY WRINKLY ASS! Get out of my face you good for nothing grandson, but Ember you stay here." Makarov yelled at Laxus, but talked calmly to Ember.

Laxus rolled his eyes at his grandfather and turned his back to him and everyone else at the table. He looked around the room really quickly and then quick as a flash gave Ember a kiss on the cheek. She smirked but tried not to acknowledge it further, Laxus making his way to the bar.

"Did he really just do that and think no one could freaking see it?" Gray laughed.

"He did. He definitely did." Gajeel nodded.

"Big ol bad boy Laxus. What an ass." Gray shook his head.

"You better watch it Gray. I think Ember could kick your ass. And we know Laxus definitely could." Erza laughed, giving Ember a smile and a wink. Ember smiled back.

"Anyways. Now that you are all here. Lucy, Natsu, Ember, Gajeel, Gray and Erza. You all have a mission today. The wizard Bone Crusher has been located, and it is your job to defeat him today. Good luck!" Makarov said with a huge grin, and then ran off to possibly go pester Laxus some more.

"The Bone Crusher? Isn't that the guy who can crush your bones without even touching you?" Lucy whimpered.

"That's the one." Erza nodded.

"Oh great, like I need more broken ribs." Ember laughed.

"Well, we have three dragon slayers on this mission. I don't think anyone will have any broken bones. We are going to take that asshole down!" Gajeel cheered.

"That's right! I'm going to turn him into toast! Then butter him!" Natsu cheered too, and him and Gajeel gave each other a high five. Then they went stone faced and turned away from each other.

"Are you prepared Happy?" Pantherlily, Gajeel's black cat with the scar over his eye, said to Happy.

"Aye! Team exceed AWAY! Except for Carla." Happy started the sentence excited, and then ended it sad.

"Well, we better get going then. If any of you are hungry grab something to eat that you can take with you." Erza said getting up from the table. Everyone else got up and collected whatever they needed in order to leave.

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"Now would be a good time to think of a strategy. We are almost there." Erza said, breaking the silence that had consumed the entire trip thus far.

"You're probably right Erza." Gray agreed.

"Okay, so we know this guy crushes bones. But we don't know how. So we have to assume that defense and outnumbering him is our main focus. Our defense has to be higher than ever. I'm going to save my Adamantium Armor for last, when I really need it. Because I am sure if he can crush bones he will have fun with a lot of my armor."

"I don't have armor, at all. What should I do?" Lucy asked.

"Well, none of you have armor actually. Your safest bet would be to stay out of his sight and use your spirits to attack him. If necessary, hide in Hologorium. He's a celestial spirit so the Bone Crushers magic probably won't get you in there." Erza answered.

"Sounds good." Lucy nodded.

"Gray, you should probably try to ice-make some armor. I don't know if you can or not, but it's worth a shot." Erza suggested.

"I never thought of that, but I am pretty positive I can do it. Good thinking Erza." Gray smiled.

"Gajeel, try to go into dragon force. Same with you Natsu. Your scales should be able to protect you, at least a little bit." Erza said to the two dragon slayers. "Ember, I won't suggest that of you, since no one knows what will happen. But don't hold back on your hellhound summoning okay? And as for Happy and Pantherlily, stay out of site. We cannot risk your tiny bones"

"Absolutely." Ember smirked.

"Aye!" Happy chirped and then flew high up into the air.

"As you say Erza." Pantherlily nodded and followed Happy.

"So that's it then. We are here." Erza said, and she stopped. She could already feel Bone Crushers magic power.

The entire group could sense it, or smell him, depending on which member. Erza re-quipped into her Purgatory armor, a jet black armor with high defense and large demon wings. Gray attempted to make himself armor made of ice, and he succeeded, Gajeel looked on in awe. Ember got her scythe ready, and Lucy tried to stay hidden like she was told. Gajeel and Natsu tried to summon dragon force, but they couldn't do it. Dragon Force usually wasn't accomplished by will alone. A high pitched and bone rattling cackle echoed all around them. They were surrounded by rocks and dirt and spaced out trees. They could not tell which direction the laughter was coming from. So they all huddled in a circle, their backs to each other, ready to attack at any moment.

A tall and muscular man, about the size of Elfman, jumped out of one of the trees. He landed perfectly on his feet and started walking towards the group. He kept flexing his hands, opening and closing them. A smile on his face that turned their stomachs. His eyes held nothing but craziness. He was gigantic, and a lunatic. He was terrifying.

"So you all thought armor would help you eh?" He said in a voice that sounded like nails being dragged across stone.

"Don't underestimate us." Erza scowled.

"We're Fairy Tail wizards! We don't lose!" Natsu yelled.

"Until….Waaahhhh" He started to talk but then suddenly fell into the ground, a hole opening up below him out of nowhere.

The wizards brought themselves to stand next to each other in a line, looking over at where Bone Crusher had just been standing. Virgo, Lucy's pink haired maid Celestial Spirit, popped out of the hole.

"Did I do good princess? Should I be punished?" She said in a monotone voice, a creepy look in her eyes.

"No Virgo you did great. You can go now." Lucy smiled.

The pink haired spirit disappeared back into the spirit world. Ember had never seen celestial spirit magic up close before. And in that moment she thought it was pretty cool. Weird, but cool.

Their attention was brought back to what was important when Bone Crusher pulled himself out of the hole. He was breathing heavily, and his eyes were a flurry of angry flames. He didn't even say anything this time, he just attacked, and it happened so fast that defense was impossible.

Erza's armor broke into a million pieces and fell around her. She had assumed that this could be possible, so she re-quipped into her Adamantium Armor quickly. Gray's ice armor shattered into splinters, falling to the ground like broken glass.

"Soon….that will be your bones." The Bone Crusher cackled maniacally.

Nastu let out a war cry and ran at the large wizard at full speed, Gajeel right behind him. Bone Crusher held both of his hands out in front of him and turned them opposite ways of each other, and then clamped them shut into fists. Natsu fell to the ground with a scream of agony, Gajeel suffering the same way soon after. Natsu grabbed at his foot, tears of pain gathering in the corner of his eyes. Gajeel grabbed his knee, pressing his face into the ground as he screamed.

"I think he broke every bone in my foot! WHAT THE HELL!" Natsu yelled.

"He got my knee. Shit this hurts so bad." Gajeel gasped.

Gray turned his arms into ice swords and began to charge, when he saw Bone Crusher raise his hands he made an ice shield. This did not help. The ice swords shattered and his wrists snapped. He fell to the ground in silence, the wind knocked out of him. He had never felt such pain in his life as the sudden snapping of his bones.

"GRAY!" Erza yelled. Anger took over and she began to run at the Bone Crusher. She had faith in her strongest armor.

Bone Crusher watched her as she came at him. He just smiled. When she was closer than five feet away and ready to swing he clapped his hands together and Erza went down with a blood curdling scream and instant tears. She fell flat on her face and didn't move. And she knew that both of her legs were broken. Her armor didn't do anything.

Ember summoned her Hell Fire attack and shot it at Natsu, hoping that by eating the fire he would have enough strength to get back onto his feet. With Erza down indefinitely with broken legs, and Gray unable to make ice with his wrists broken, Natsu was probably their only hope. She didn't have a way of powering up Gajeel, and Lucy had already summoned Hologorium and was hiding on the inside of his clock body.

Natsu caught the fire from the air with his mouth and gulped it down. Bone Crusher watched this and instead of targeting Natsu he targeted Ember. He looked straight at her, their eyes meeting.

"I sense that you had broken ribs not very long ago." The Bone Crusher snickered.

Ember gasped and before she could do anything she felt her ribs snap into pieces. She couldn't even scream, she just fell to the ground and passed out from the pain. Lucy screamed from inside Hologorium. She was crying, not knowing what to do. She knew that if she left her hideout, the second the Bone Crusher saw her, her would snap her in half. She cheered Natsu on from inside the clock.

"Go Natsu, you can beat him, she yells. " Hologorium said in a proper fashion.

Natsu got himself to his feet. Gajeel seeing this, and seeing his other comrades totally defeated and on the ground around him, starting to get up as well. He could handle a broken knee. They both ushered forward, their power radiating off of them. Bone Crusher just looked at them, a huge smile on his face.

Gajeel went to start an Iron Dragon Roar attack, but before he could even get enough breath in order to do it he felt his legs snap just like Erza , and he went down silently, passing out before he hit the ground. Natsu didn't hesitate, he ran full force at Bone Crusher. They made eye contact. Natsu's fire was about to touch the wizards face, and then his spine snapped. His breath came out in one large breath, and he folded to the ground. Not a muscle moved.

Lucy jumped out of Hologorium. "NATSSUUUU!" She screamed, tears streaming down her face in rivers. She didn't even remember where she was, she just needed to get to Natsu. She dropped on the ground next to him to make sure he was breathing. When she realized he was, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, putting her hands over her heart. She sat there and cried. She should have known that a broken spine couldn't kill a dragon slayer, but none the less when she saw it happen it felt as if the entire world stopped.

She saw a shadow appear over her. She started to shake. Slowly, she looked up, her eyes meeting the Bone Crusher's. He towered over her, looking like a giant. Her lip quivered, and it became hard for her to breath. She was hyperventilating and sobbing. She had never been so scared in her life. If he snapped her neck, she would die. She didn't want to die. "Please don't kill me" she whimpered. The Bone Crusher laughed loudly and closed his right hand into a fist, and then twisted it. Lucy screamed as every bone from her left foot up to her hip snapped. She screamed until her voice got hoarse and she couldn't scream anymore.

"I'm not going to kill any of you. I want Fairy Tail to see what I can do. I want the world to know what I can do. I want to put fear into the heart of every wizard, everywhere. And this will accomplish my goal." Bone Crusher said in a serious voice, no laughter, no cackling.

He looked around at his damage, proud of himself. Why any wizard would hunt down a wizard that could crush bones without touch was beyond him. In his mind they were all idiots. All big stupid fools. He let out one last big laugh, and then left the scene. The Fairy Tail wizards laid on the ground motionless. Thankfully Pantherlily and Happy had started flying back to the guild as soon as Erza's legs broke, knowing that their friends would need help.


	9. Chapter 9

"Gramps we have to do something, they could have died!" Cana yelled from the mob of angry Fairy Tail members.

Master Makarov sat on the bar, his eyes closed but his ears opened. His face was red with anger. His children mobbed around him, shouting out for information. Those were the angry ones. The sad ones sat at tables and cried. Lisanna and Mirajane hugged one another in a corner, Elfman's huge arms wrapped around the both of them in an attempt to comfort. Tears poured down Levy's face as she sat at a table, her Shadow Gear teammates Jet and Droy on either side of her trying to calm her down. Carla was curled up on Wendy's lap, tears falling from the young girl's face and onto her white fur. Juvia was in a rain cloud of her own sorrow.

Erza, Ember, Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and Gajeel were all in sick bay. All of them unconscious, but every single one of them alive. Porlyusica was at their side, her healing magic doing it's work. Happy, Pantherlily, and Nunu were all in sick bay with their partners. They were the only ones allowed in currently. Part of the anger of the Fairy Tail members was that many of them wanted to see their friends. Hold their hands, make sure they were really okay.

"I don't know what we can do. Bone Crusher's new location is not known. And I will not put any more of you at risk." Makarov sighed. Even he had tears burning in his eyes, he wouldn't open them in fear that they would show. He had to remain strong for his children.

"I don't care about the danger!" Cana shouted.

"Neither do we!" Evergreen agreed, Freed and Bickslow nodding their heads as they stood on either side of her.

"Master, are they going….are they going to be okay?" Levy choked, her hands shaking.

"Porlyusica is with them right now. We have to trust her." The Master said.

"Ju-Juvia can fight Bone Crusher. Juvia is water." Juvia sniffled.

"It's too dangerous right now. All of you, please calm down. If not just to ease the stress on yourselves, but also for your comrades that lay in those beds."

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Porlyusica looked at the broken down young wizards, her already old face looking even more aged with her despair. It had been a long time since she had seen injuries so bad. She knew that if Natsu hadn't been a dragon slayer, that the snapping of his spine would have killed him. There was a large chance that the stress on the bodies of Gajeel and Ember would have killed them too. In her mind she wondered if the Bone Crusher knew that. She knew he did this for shock value. He wanted the guild to know exactly what they were dealing with. The best idea would be to not ever go after this wizard again, but she knew Fairy Tail better than that. They would surely go after him.

Gray was already awake. His broken wrists were the most minor of the injuries. But his pride was severely damaged. He laid in the bed staring up at the ceiling in silence. He wouldn't even look at Porlyusica when she talked to him. Wouldn't even look at his friends. All he did was stare and blink. His chest rising and falling in steady breaths.

"Gray. I know you are worried that you will have a hard time doing ice-make again. But I assure you, your wrists are already close to healing. You got lucky." Porlyusica said in a low voice. He didn't respond to her.

"And don't feel guilty that you got a more minor injury than your friends. Three of them are dragon slayers, and they will be just fine. Lucy and Erza's leg injuries are doing well. Erza heals fast even without my help, she should be waking up soon." She continued.

She looked around the room as she prepared the days medicines. Erza was stirring, getting close to waking up. Porlyusica knew she was having nightmares of the battle because of the strained expressions that would appear on her face. Erza may have had both legs broken, but the Titania was a fast healer. Lucy's leg and hip would take longer to heal since there were breaks from the foot all the way up, but Porlyusica expected her to wake up soon. She was more worried about the state of Lucy's mind when she awoke than her physical injuries. In her sleep she had cried out Natsu's name a few times. This led Porlyusica to believe that Lucy had witnessed the snapping of his spine.

Happy was curled up at Natsu's head. The fire dragon slayer was in a deep sleep, and would probably be the last to heal, and to wake up. A snapped spine was no small injury, no matter the creature who attained it. He never stirred in his sleep, but his chest moved as he breathed. He didn't mumble in his slumber, or groan at all. The little blue cat would cry himself back to sleep every time he would wake up, in fear of losing his best friend.

Pantherlily did not leave Gajeel's side. He sat next to his friend with his arms crossed, and even slept with his eyes opened, as if he was on constant guard. Gajeel made a lot of noises in his sleep. Groans, whimpers, sometimes a shout. He was only suffering broken legs, so Porlyusica expected him to wake up soon as well. But like the rest, she worried about his pride and mental state when his eyes opened.

Curled up on the bed with Ember was her hellhound Nunu. Any time she moved or made a sound the large animal would whimper and lick her face. Porlyusica was worried her ribs wouldn't heal right, since they had not been entirely healed from the last time. And this time the ribs had been broken in multiple places. They might as well have been floating around in her abdomen like lost ships at sea.

Porlyusica let out a heavy sigh. All anyone could do was wait, and hope for the best. The wizards in the beds were strong, they would live on. But she just hoped that their minds were as strong as their physical power.

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The door to the guild hall slammed opened so hard it almost broke. The angry mob was startled and looked to the door. In the back of their minds, they were all secretly worried the Bone Crusher had come for the rest of them. Even Makarov opened his eyes to look. But no, it wasn't Bone Crusher. But depending on the next few seconds, it could turn out to be worse.

Laxus stood in the doorway, lightning lighting up his entire body. It wasn't clear the exact emotion he had on his face. It was a storm of many. Anger, pain, sadness, revenge. He started walking up to Makarov, his fists balled up tight.

"Where is she old man?" Laxus asked through gritted teeth.

"Sick bay. But there are no visitors. You have to wait just like everyone else." Makarov said calmly.

"Wait my ass." He growled and turned away.

"Laxus please. She isn't even awake yet. There's no point." Makarov sighed.

"I don't care…..I just need to see that she is alive myself." Laxus said.

The blonde thunder dragon slayer walked in the direction of the guild's sick bay. No one stopped him, and no one argued. Partly because the only other time they saw Laxus have genuine concern for someone in sick bay was when it was Makarov, and partly because they were scared of what he would do if anyone tried to stop him.

"Master…." Levy whimpered.

"Fine. I will let people in to see them. But it will have to be one at a time, and you will have to be quiet. Wait until Laxus is done." Makarov nodded.

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Laxus opened the door to the room his friends were in quietly. When he entered Porlyusica opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it upon seeing the look on his face. If Makarov let him by, she would just have to sit by and keep an eye on him. There was no point in fighting. This wasn't the place.

He looked around the room at his fallen comrades. He closed his eyes tight, his teeth grinding, holding his anger at bay. When he opened his eyes he saw that Gray was awake, but not taking any notice of his presence. While him and Gray were not exactly close friends, they were both part of the same family, and he hoped in his heart that Gray was alright. He hoped they were all going to be okay. He walked quietly over to Ember's bed and sat down easily next to her. He pet Nunu gently on the head, the hellhound letting out a soft whimper and looking up at him. He sighed heavily.

Her face was in pain, and this made his stomach knot up. With his hand he gently moved her hair out of her face, and lightly caressed her cheek. He leaned down and kissed her forehead with a gentleness not typical of him.

"Laxus…." Porlyusica gasped. She had had no idea.

"Is she going to be okay?" Laxus asked quietly.

"Yes. In time. Her ribs were broken again, but in many places. I assume she passed out from the pain and hasn't woken up since. Which is better than her being awake."

"I don't know if her not being conscious is better. But at least she isn't feeling it."

"Well…...sure."

Laxus let out a heavy sigh and stood up. He looked down at Ember once more and then made his way to the door, Nunu whimpering as he left. Porlyusica's eyes filled with sympathy. She didn't much like humans, usually not at all. But she couldn't help but to feel something when she saw them in pain.

"I'm sure you will have visitors coming in shortly. Don't turn them away. Sometimes you just have to make sure someone you love is okay with your own eyes." Laxus said quietly, and then he left.

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Levy and Juvia came by the sick bay shortly after Laxus had left. Makarov had let them both come at one time since they were both so fragile and quiet. He wasn't worried they would cause a disturbance. Porlyusica looked at the blue haired girls and let out sigh. She knew this would be a long day of keeping a close eye on a bunch of young wizards to make sure they didn't make any stupid movements and cause more problems.

Juvia went directly to Gray's side. She sat down and looked down at him, tears overflowing and pouring down her face. She smiled when she saw that he was awake, but she still felt pain in her heart. He did not look at her. He didn't acknowledge her at all. She quieted her sobs and grabbed his hand. All she wanted was for him to show that he knew she was there. He did. He squeezed her hand so hard it made her wince, but she smiled.

"Gray…." She whispered.

Levy looked around the room. She didn't know where to go first. Lucy was her best girlfriend, and Gajeel was the man she loved. Her heart felt torn in two pieces. She took in a few deep breaths and realized she could see both of them, and that panicing was unnecessary. She went to Lucy first. Looking down on her friend she felt a pinch in her gut. She moved a strand of Lucy's blonde hair out of her face and kissed her forehead. "Get better Lucy. Please." She whispered in her friends ear. Then she went over to Gajeel's bed. Pantherlily looked up at her, and she could see that they shared each others sadness, even if the sadness had different roots.

She curled up on the bed next to Gajeel and buried her face in the space between his neck and shoulder. Her body vibrated with her silent sobs. Porlyusica normally wouldn't allow someone to actually get into the bed with someone who was injured, but at that moment she felt in her gut that she should just let things happen.

Gajeel moved. Levy stopped breathing. She lifted her head and looked at his face, his eyes slowly opened. He couldn't open them all the way, but she could tell he was looking at her. Her sobs stopped and her breath caught in her throat. The smile that appeared on her face lit up the entire room.

"Gajeel?" She whispered.

"Levy….." Gajeel breathed.

The tiny girl let out a happy laugh and buried her face in the iron dragon slayers chest. Her refusal to leave was so severe that Makarov ended up having to send Laxus in to carry her out.

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Makarov studied his children from his seat on the bar. They all looked to be feeling better now that they had at least gotten to see their friends. No one was crying anymore. He had found out that Gray was awake, but not speaking, and that Gajeel had woken up and spoken when Levy had been visiting him. That was why she refused to leave, and he had to send Laxus in to carry her out. Laxus sat in a bar stool right next to his grandfather, looking out at everyone as well. He looked on as his Thunder Legion and Cana all laughed together, now in better spirits. Even Juvia wasn't in a rain cloud anymore, and Wendy was able to smile again with the help of Macao's son Romeo.

"Laxus. I'm sorry you have to go through this." Makarov sighed.

"Don't go soft on me now old man." Laxus smiled up at the Master.

"I'm not going soft. I think you are." Makarov chuckled.

"Oh jeez, don't start." Laxus sneered.

"There's nothing wrong with feelings Laxus. Especially the good ones."

"Yeah. It took me a long time to figure that out."

"Mmmm. Well now that…"

"Don't finish that sentence. Don't freaking ruin it Gramps. We had our moment."

Makarov looked at Laxus and smiled. He put his hand on the young man's shoulder and patted it. Laxus closed his eyes and smiled with a small laugh.

"So Gajeel woke up? That's great!" Wendy chirped.

"Yes! I am so glad Hopefully Lucy wakes up next!" Levy smiled.

"We are so Happy to see you smiling again Levy." Jet cheered, and Droy nodded in agreement.

"Gray is awake to. But he didn't talk to Juvia." Juvia sighed, but she had a slight smile.

"At least he is awake. That's a great sign." Levy said happily, smiling wide at Juvia. Juvia nodded back at her and returned the smile.

"I hope they all wake up soon." Wendy said. And everyone at the table nodded in agreement.

"Are you going to be okay Lisanna?" Mira asked, rubbing her sisters back.

"Yeah. I just hope Natsu is going to be okay. He looks like he is in so much pain." Lisanna sighed, rubbing a tear from one of her eyes.

"Don't cry again! You know Natsu as well as anyone. He is going to be just fine. He's too stubborn to not be okay." Mira giggled.

Lisanna looked at her older sister and smiled. Leave it to MiraJane to always bring light into the room, even when it felt like the darkness wasn't ever going to go away. Lisanna leaned her head onto Mira's shoulder and let herself relax.

"Man, when Ember is awake we are totally getting her drunk. Broken ribs TWICE? Wow." Cana said shaking her head and guzzling down booze.

"Totally. We have to have a girls night!" Evergreen laughed.

"Hey now!" Freed gasped.

"Oh Freed, you might as well be a girl. You're pretty enough." Cana winked.

Bickslow cracked up and slapped Freed on the back. Freed gave Cana a dirty look, but then couldn't help but smile. At this rate, he thought, Cana may as well be Thunder Legion as well.

"We have company." Laxus said.

"Hmm?" Makarov turned to him.

The door to the guild hall opened. The light from the bright afternoon sun pouring in. Two figures walked in. Gasps and murmurs spread like wildfire through the guild hall. Standing there was the blue haired Jellal and the pointy eared Cobra of Crime Sorciere. Makarov let out a stressful sigh. Laxus chuckled.

"I know why you are here Jellal. Cobra. They are in sickbay." Makarov said.

"Thank you Master Makarov. I do need to speak with you later though." Jellal said, and with that him and Cobra made themselves scarce.

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"Jellal. Cobra." Porlyusica gasped as the two men walked into the room.

Jellal nodded at her and went right to Erza's bedside, sitting down and grabbing her hand with both of his. She rustled around and let out a soft groan, but her eyes still did not open. Cobra didn't even acknowledge Porlyusica and just went to Ember's bed, sitting down and resting his elbows on his knees, his face in his hands.

"They have yet to wake. I don't know when they will." Porlyusica sighed.

"That's fine." Jellal said, not looking away from Erza.

"We won't be leaving until they do." Cobra said, lifting his face from his hands and meeting eyes with Porlyusica. She didn't argue.

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It took two weeks for all the injured wizards to be back on their feet and functioning at a somewhat normal level. Gray and Gajeel had left their beds shortly after Jellal and Cobra arrived, supposedly because they didn't want to be in the same room as them. Erza had woken up later that night, and Jellal's face being the first one she saw made ignoring her pain that much easier. She was out of bed the next morning. Lucy woke up later that day but spent most of her time sitting by Natsu. Ember woke up shortly after Lucy, but by that time Cobra had already left. She was told he had been there, but she didn't get to actually see her brother. Natsu was the last to wake up, but when his eyes opened joy spread throughout the entire guild hall.

Erza stood in front of Master Makarov listening to the information that Jellal had shared with him on his visit. Her fists shook at her sides. She looked at the Master in shock.

"Are you sure Master? Is Jellal sure?" Erza asked.

"Yes. Don't mention anything to anyone Erza. I am trusting you." Makarov said seriously.

"I-I won't….but…." Erza stammered.

"Don't worry Erza. No one will be fighting until they are ready. You can go now."

Erza nodded. She decided that she would just go home for the day. She needed to think, and to calm down. There was no way she could socialize with her friends and guild mates without them knowing something was wrong. And she couldn't tell anyone anything. Some secrets weighed heavily on the mind, but had to be kept.

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"You know, you and Cobra look a lot alike. You can tell he is your brother." Cana said.

"Except for the pointy ears." Freed nodded.

"They even have the same scar over the same eye. Ridiculous." Evergreen laughed.

"Yeah but that is just a coincidence. Neither of us was born with the scar. And his is different, he can't open his eye. I can." Ember smiled.

"Still." Evergreen responded.

"I just wish I got to see him." Ember sighed.

"Who cares. He's an asshole." Laxus sneered.

"Mister sensitive over here." Cana laughed, tilting her head towards Laxus.

The group laughed. Ember sat at a table in the guild hall with the Thunder Legion and Cana. Laxus sat closely next to her. Elfman joined them as well, seated close to Evergreen. Her ribs were still tightly bandaged, but the pain had improved significantly. Every day she was thankful for the strength of Porlyusica's magic. And after everything she was even more thankful for her friends and her guild, and the fact that she was alive.

"So, I'm just curious. How have your ribs even been able to heal? Has Laxus been spending the nights at his place?" Cana said with a wink and a smirk.

"Cana!" Ember blushed.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Laxus shouted at Cana.

"Hey man, I was just curious." Cana laughed. Evergreen gave her a secret high five under the table.

"Give our Laxus more credit than that. I don't think he would risk breaking Ember's ribs over again." Freed said, shooting Cana a dirty look.

"I don't just go around breaking things." Laxus growled.

"Of course you don't. I was just saying." Cana shrugged.

"Laxus is a man. Men don't break their women!" Elfman hooted.

"Only in the good ways." Evergreen smirked. Elfman turned red in the face.

"I can't handle you guys right now." Ember smiled, shaking her head.

"I can't handle them EVER!" Laxus sighed.

"Oh calm down. You put me through the same wringer when me and Elfman first showed hints of being together." Evergreen laughed.

"Well that's because you both snuck around like immature children!" Laxus snapped.

"We snuck around because of this kind of treatment." Elfman said.

"Whatever. Enough of this. I'm heading out. You coming?" Laxus said, looking at Ember. She nodded. They both got up from the table and left together, their friends teasing them and yelling taunts after them until they were gone.

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Natsu shoved food in his mouth, making a mess of the table. Lisanna and Lucy sat on either side of him. Juvia and Gray sat on the opposite end of the table, watching Natsu make a mess with wide eyes.

"Well glad to see you are one hundred percent back to normal. Slob." Gray laughed.

"Ut er mouf AY!" Natsu shouted, food flying out of his mouth.

Gray and Juvia shielded their face from the airborne food. Lucy and Lisanna laughed. Happy was too busy shoving his face full of fish to take notice. Natsu still had bandages around his abdomen, and Lucy still had to walk with the aid of a crutch, but they were both well on their way to being fully healed. Gray's wrists were 100%, and he had no problems with his ice-make magic like he had been worried about.

Lucy and Lisanna had no idea what the other was thinking, but they were both pretty much thinking the same thing. They both wondered if Natsu even remembered the talks they had. If he had even thought more about it. And if he ever even would. Little did they know, Natsu had thought about it a lot as he slept, and he was one step closer to understanding his feelings.

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Levy pulled the covers up and over her naked body. She curled up against Gajeel's warm skin, a smile on her face and her cheeks flushed. Gajeel rubbed her back with one hand, and rubbed one of his legs with the other. He wasn't fully healed, and he could feel his bones throbbing. He wished he could just turn his bones into iron and not have to worry about it.

This was the first time Gajeel and Levy had been together like this. Their relationship up until then had been like a game of cat and mouse. One always chasing the other, but the other never doing anything about it. But after Gajeel's brush with death their attitudes changed, and over the course of the two weeks since he had opened his eyes they had each made small steps in getting closer to each other and what they wanted. And now here they were.

"I didn't hurt you, right?" Gajeel asked embarrassed.

"No you silly lunk head!" Levy laughed, nuzzling closer to him.

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Laxus and Ember layed in bed cuddling. And that's all they did. In fact, Laxus took serious offense that Cana would even think he would risk hurting Ember in her fragile state. He didn't let on to it, but he was actually scared of hurting her, so he had been nothing but gentle when he was close to her. As if he was near a glass statue and one wrong move would cause it to fall and shatter. He laid against her, his stomach against her back, his arms around her. His face was buried in her hair, taking in her scent. He could sense her slowly falling to sleep.

"Hey, before you fall asleep, I have a question." Laxus asked.

"Hm?" Ember grunted.

"When gramps mentioned grandkids. Did that….bother you?"

"Mmm no. Why so serious all of a sudden?"

"Just a question."

"Oh. Well, to be honest. I don't even know if I can have children. I mean, I wasn't born like everyone else. Zeref created me. So I don't know if he created me to be able to you know, breed."

"I didn't even think of that. Hm."

"Does that bother you? Because even if I could have children, I'm not sure I would choose to."

Laxus put his hand to her face and turned it so that she was looking at him. She rolled the rest of her body over onto her back, slowly and carefully. He caressed her cheek with his thumb and rested his forehead against hers and shut his eyes.

"I don't care either way. I'm not going anywhere." He said softly. Ember smiled.

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"Hey Lisanna, wait up!" Natsu called out.

Lisanna stopped walking and turned around. Natsu was slowly approaching her from down the street. She sat and waited for him with a smile. She didn't want him to rush and hurt himself. He didn't like to put on that he was in any pain, but she wasn't stupid, and she knew his back had to hurt at least a little bit. She noticed that Happy wasn't with him, and that struck her as kind of weird.

He got to her eventually, slightly out of breath. He leaned on his knees and breathed heavily until he caught his breath. Then he stood up straight. He walked closer to her, and got as close as he could. She could feel the heat coming off of him like the fire he ate.

"What is it Natsu?" Lisanna asked shyly.

"Oh, I just have to do something really quick." Natsu smiled.

Before Lisanna could say anything Natsu grabbed her by both of her shoulders and planted a kiss right on her lips.

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Lucy stood in the middle of the road where Natsu had just left her. She stared into the distance, touching her lips with her fingertips. She kept replaying what had just happened before Natsu ran off, over and over again in her head. Constant replay, and she still didn't know what to do. So she just stood there. But she couldn't believe it was real, and didn't know what it meant.

Did Natsu just kiss her?


	10. Chapter 10

Natsu sat on the grass looking out over the river. The light of the setting sun dancing in sparkles on the waters surface. Happy sat next to him eating a fish and being quiet. He knew Natsu was in deep thought so he didn't want to disturb him. He had been quiet all day, even while they were out in the woods fishing.

Contemplating feelings, especially those of a romantic nature was not something Natsu had ever spent much time doing. He felt as if he had steam coming out of his ears from the gears in his mind working too hard. But he knew that some time soon he had to come to a conclusion, and he wasn't going to give up. He knew that if his silent thoughts and alone time didn't work for him, then he would have to go and talk to someone about it. This may be a situation he couldn't figure out on his own, no matter how hard he was willing to try.

Natsu let out a sigh and closed his eyes, tilting his head to the ground. Happy took this as the end of Natsu's deep-thinking-time.

"Natsu, feeling better?" Happy asked.

"Still confused Happy. This is some rough stuff. I wasn't born for this." Natsu sighed.

"You were born to fight!" Happy cheered.

"YEAH!" Natsu shouted, and they both laughed.

"Do you want to go home now Natsu?"

"Yeah."

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Ember woke up with the morning sun shining on her face. She stretched her body out like a cat, but quickly coiled in on herself. Stretching too hard still hurt her ribs. She let out a pitiful groan. Laxus rolled himself over and threw his arm over her body. Feeling her tenseness he opened his eyes and sat up, looking at her confused.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"I stretched too hard." Ember pouted.

"Oh, don't be a wimp." Laxus laughed and kissed her forehead.

Laxus sat up and stretched himself, his arms reaching out like giant wings. Ember laughed as his face contorted hilariously from his yawn.

"You know, I could have stolen all of your stuff and neither of you idiots would have ever known." A voice chuckled.

Ember and Laxus both jumped out of bed, immediately on the defense. They scanned the room and noticed Natsu and Happy, both of them sitting on Ember's breakfast table. Luckily for everyone no one was naked this time. Laxus and Ember growled at Natsu and sat down on the edge of the bed, waiting to hear what ridiculous story he might have for them this time. Natsu smiled at the both of them, baring his teeth.

"What is it Natsu?" Ember asked.

"You really have to learn how to knock you little punk." Laxus sneered.

"Well maybe if you ever went home…" Natsu sighed.

"What the hell? That's not even your business!" Laxus shouted.

"Alright enough. Anyways." Ember laughed.

"Ember, I did what you told me to do. With Lisanna and Lucy. I spent all of yesterday thinking about it, and I still haven't figured it out." Natsu sighed.

"Oh! OH! Well, did you feel anything?" Ember asked excitedly.

"Yes. I felt a few different things." Natsu said.

"Well tell me, like what?" Ember got up and went over to the breakfast table to sit down. She was now entirely into the conversation.

"Ugh, girls and their weird shit." Laxus rolled his eyes and laid back down on the bed.

"Well….something weird happened." Natsu sighed.

"Just spit it out!" Ember laughed.

"Uhmmm…." Natsu looked down at his lap, and his face turned bright red.

"OH HAHA OH OKAY!" Ember yelled, laughing hysterically. Laxus was laughing over on the bed as well.

"Natsu! Congratulations, you ARE a man!" Laxus cheered.

"Eeehhh….." Natsu groaned.

"Okay okay. That's normal. But that doesn't help you figure out who you have emotional feelings for." Ember nodded.

"No, just that he definitely wouldn't mind getting busy with either one of them. Don't blame yah." Laxus chuckled.

"Really? Enough from you!" Ember snapped at Laxus, waving her hand at him and turning back to Natsu.

"So now what?" Natsu asked.

"Just sit back and see what happens. I'm sure something will soon. This time, don't force anything, let it happen naturally." Ember said, and Natsu nodded.

"HEYO EMBER!" a yell from outside.

Laxus, Ember, and Natsu all turned their heads towards the front window. Someone was yelling from the street. Laxus sat up and stuck his head out the window, which was right next to the bed. Down on the street below was Gajeel and Levy. Levy waved up at him with a smile. Gajeel had been the one that yelled.

"Oh, Laxus, what's up brother?" Gajeel said up to the window.

"Don't call me brother. What do you want?" Laxus huffed.

"Master wants everyone at the guild hall as soon as possible. I don't know if it's something serious or not. But Lucy stopped by Levy's and we figured we would yell up to Ember since we would be walking by anyways."

"Alright, we will be down there soon. Thanks for letting us know."

Gajeel and Levy nodded and made their way down the street. Ember and Natsu had heard the conversation and were already by the door ready to leave. Laxus grunted and got off the bed, quickly getting dressed.

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"Master, is there trouble? Why are you calling everyone in?" Mira asked nervously.

"No trouble. You will see." Makarov nodded from his seat on top of the bar.

"Are you sure? I'm not battle ready today." Cana asked.

"Well maybe if you didn't drink so much." Freed snickered.

"Watch it clown." Cana smiled, smacking Freed in the chest.

Besides the wizards out on jobs, almost everyone was present in the guild hall. Max and Warren sat in a corner talking amongst themselves. Wendy and Carla sat with Romeo, His father Macao, and Wakaba. Gray, Juvia, Erza, and an out of breath Lucy sat together at another table. Evergreen, Bickslow, Lisanna, and Elfman sat socializing with each other not far from the bar. Mira was behind the bar, and Cana and Freed sat at the bar, Master Makarov sitting on top of it.

Gajeel and Levy walked in, Pantherlily walking at Gajeels after Ember, Laxus, and Natsu came in. This trio got a few weird looks from people, but was then quickly ignored. Natsu went and joined Erza and the others. Ember and Laxus walked over to the bar.

"What's wrong old man? Is there something up?" Laxus asked, sitting in a stool next to his grandfather.

"No. Nothing is up. Ember, how are you doing my dear?" Makarov said, smiling at Ember.

"Oh, I'm doing a lot better. If I move the wrong way it hurts though. But that is to be expected." Ember smiled at the Master.

"I'm sure you move the wrong way a lot." Cana snickered, gulping at her drink. Mira giggled and Freed shot her a dirty look.

"Cana, I don't care if you are a girl, or Gildarts daughter, I will destroy you." Laxus growled.

"Don't worry Laxus, I will do it for you." Freed said proudly. Mira and Cana just laughed. Ember rolled her eyes and went to sit next to Cana.

Makarov stood up on the bar and cleared his throat loudly. He knocked his walking stick a few times and the sound it made on the bar reverberated through the entire guild hall. All the wizards turned their attention to the Master. He smiled a giant goofy smile, and this caused everyone to relax. Most of them had been under the impression he was going to send people out to fight.

"Good morning children! Lately we have dealt with a lot of drama. And injuries. So I am taking it upon myself to bring on a bit of fun." The Master beamed.

"Oh no. What does he have up his sleeve." Gray whispered to Juvia. She shrugged.

"Gray, pay attention please. Thank you. Anyways, we are going to play a game. And it's going to be public. The citizens of Magnolia are already preparing the festivities out in the center of town. There will be food, and games for the citizens. All the good stuff. But the main attraction is The Dating Game! And you will all be the contestants! A fun filled time where the citizens of the city get to see their beloved Wizards blush and swoon!" Makarov cheered.

"You have got to be KIDDING?" Laxus said in shock.

"What is this Master? A dating game? What?" Mira blushed.

"This could get ugly. Fast." Gray chuckled.

"No kidding." Erza sighed.

"What kind of crap are you trying to pull old man?" Laxus growled.

"I'm not trying to pull anything. Just want to have some fun. Of course, it may not be as fun for all of you." Makarov giggled.

"What do you mean?" Mira asked.

"Well, no one is being set up with their actual partner. Unless the game allows it. You might end up with someone totally different!" Makarov laughed, his eyes watering.

"What?" Evergreen gasped.

"That's right. And whoever you end up with, you have to go on a date with them!" Makarov laughed even harder.

"Are you punishing us gramps?" Natsu shouted.

"No. He's just trying to ease the stress everyone has been under recently. He's just bad at it." Erza smiled.

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The center of Magnolia was in fact set up to look like a festival. There were colored lights, balloons, the aromas of all sorts of delicious food. Kids ran around giggling as their parents drank spirits. There was a huge stage set up. In the center of the stage was a huge divider, and on one side of the divider was one single stool, and on the other side there was four stools. This set up had no significance to anyone until Makarov chose to go over the rules.

All the wizards of Fairy Tail, that were currently around to participate, stood off to the side of the stage waiting for more information. They discussed outcomes and bad scenarios amongst themselves. Some of them were secretly excited to actually go out on a date. Other's were dreading ending up with someone other than the person they wanted to end up with. And if someone was to get jealous, that could turn out bad for the festivities.

Makarov walked out onto the stage with a megaphone in his hands. He turned to the crowd with a giant smile on his face he welcomed everyone and introduced himself, even though the citizens already knew who he was.

"Thank you for coming to The Dating Game festival. I am sure that you will all be delighted to watch Magnolia's wizards ask and answer questions and ultimately end up going on a date with whoever is their closest match. The rules are simple. One wizard will sit on one side of the divider, this will be the one asking the questions. On the other side will be four other wizards, and they have to answer that question. Now, so that no one can choose an answer based on the voice of the person, everyone has to write their questions and answers down on a piece of paper. The question will be pushed through a slot that is in the divider, and the four wizards on the other side will answer it on another piece of paper, then return it to the other side of the slot. The question asker will then make themselves known and read off the question and answers. They will choose their favorite answer and it will be revealed who they will go on a date with. Is everyone ready?"

The crowd cheered. The wizards sighed. While this had the ability to be highly entertaining for anyone watching, it was also bound to be torture for some of the contestants.

"Round one. Start."

Sitting on the single stool and waving to the crowd was Cana, a drink in one hand, a piece of paper in the other. On the other side of the divider sat Bickslow, Macao, Gajeel, and Max. The guys all smiled and waved, except for Gajeel. He sat with his arms crossed. They each had paper and a writing instrument. Cana wrote her question down and stuck it through the slot. The answers came back. She picked up the papers and revealed herself by walking onto the other side of the divider. She wasn't impressed by her prospects, but Bickslow and Max hooted and hollered. With her back turned to the guys, she acknowledged the crowd.

"The question I asked was, 'what is your favorite thing to do with your spare time?'. The answers are 1. Train my body to be stronger. 2. Hang out with friends. 3. relax at the guild hall. and 4. anything and everything. Well, I'm going to have to choose answer number 3, because that's where I spend most of my free time, and there is alcohol there." Cana said with a smile. She turned around and her suitor stood up. It was Macao.

"It looks like our tarot card wizard is going on a date with Macao, the wizard who can make fire sticky!" Makarov cheered. The crowd hooted and hollered, and everyone exited the stage.

Next it was Freed sitting alone, and on the other side of the divider sat MiraJane, Juvia, Wendy, and Laki. Freed was uncomfortable with this, so he quickly wrote down his question and slipped it through the slot. The answers came back and he picked them up with a shaky hand. He stood up and went to the other side of the divider. His face turned as red as a rose bush. All four girls, including poor Wendy, were in bikinis. He quickly turned his back to them.

"Well I see someone is having their fun. Anyways. The question I asked was ' What is the best use of your magic?'. The answers were, 1. To help others. 2. For protection. 3. For Gray. and 4. To help my friends and family. I'm going to have to go with number 2.. Protection is a good use of magic, and Juvia, you made yourself too obvious." Freed said with a stood up with a smile and waved at Freed, her purple hair in a high ponytail. He blushed uncontrollably, but wasn't entirely disappointed.

"And it looks like our rune writer Freed will be going on a date with the wizard of wood-make magic, Laki!" Makarov hooted.

Lisanna sat on her stool, smiling and waving and letting herself have a good time. She hoped Natsu was on the other side, and that she ended up picking his answer. A girl could dream. When the answers came back she quickly went to the other side. She beamed when she saw that Natsu was there! Along with Bickslow, Laxus, and Elfman. She was confused as to why her older brother was there. Makarov had a sick mind.

"I don't know why my brother Elf is over here, but hopefully I don't choose his answer. I asked 'What was your favorite childhood activity?'. The answers were, 1. fight. 2. play with animals. 3. sing to my parakeet. And 4. listen to music. Well, I'm going to have to go with number 2, because I love animals!" Lisanna smiled widely. Bickslow stood up, raising his fists in the air, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Lisanna gasped. Her plan had backfired. She would have never assumed Bickslow to ever play with animals.

"Interesting! Animal Soul Lisanna and the man who controls Souls, Bickslow! Let's get a round of applause for our newest couple!" Makarov was having way too much fun with this. Lisanna sighed.

Sitting on the stool looking off into the distance, Gray didn't care very much for this game. But he had no choice but to play. When his answers came through the slot he picked them up and slowly walked over to see who the girls were. Juvia, Lucy, Erza, and Ember. Not to bad, but he was terrified of what Laxus would do if he chose Ember's answer. And he was sure Juvia's would be so obvious that he could skip right over it.

"Ok. My question was "What is your favorite food?', pretty simple right? So the answers are as follows. 1. Cake and other sweets. 2. Flavored shaved ice. 3. I don't really know. and 4. Magic. Really? Who eats magic? That was a cop out. Anyways, I guess I will go with number 2. Since that's one of my favorites as well." Gray shrugged. Juvia jumped up with a squeal and ran over to Gray, throwing her arms around him. He turned red in embarrassment. But in the back of his head he thought maybe ending up with Juvia really wasn't so bad. They spent a lot of time together already.

"And there you have it. Juvia of water and Gray of ice! Maybe some couples are destined to be together!" Gray shot Makarov a dirty look.

Mira waved and smiled at the crowd, the people cheering and going insane. She hoped their reaction didn't give away who she was. But they had been pretty rowdy the entire time, so she was sure no one knew it was her. And the looks on their faces when she walked to their side of the divider proved she was was bright red and in shock, so was Warren. Laxus and Natsu didn't have much of a reaction.

"Ok, so I asked 'what would you do if you had done something to make me sad?'. The answers are 1. I could never make you sad. 2. Sit down and talk about it. 3. Nothing. And 4. who cares. Well, some of these boys don't seem to really be into this huh? Anyways, I will choose number 1, because it's really sweet." Mira giggled. She turned around and Warren's jaw dropped. He never would have expected to get chosen by Mira! She smiled at him.

"Our very own MiraJane and the guy who can speak inside your head, Warren!" The Master cheered.

Elfman couldn't even sit on the stool, he was too big. So he just stood and flexed his amazing muscles for the crowd. When he picked up the papers with the answers on them he accidently crumpled them, but they were still readable. He lumbered to the other side and sitting there was Ember, Levy, Evergreen, and for some weird reason Carla.

"Why is Carla here? She's a cat! Anyways. I asked 'what makes a man, a man?' Answer 1. Knowing what to do with your hands. 2. Giving in to your emotions. 3. Intelligence. 4. Your actions. I'm going to choose number 4, because I always do manly actions!" Elfman cheered. Carla let out a cry, and Evergreen gasped. Everyone laughed at the fact that Elfman was now doomed to go on a date with a flying and talking white kitty cat.

"Beast Soul Elfman Strauss with how fitting, Fairy Tail's smart and sassy exceed Carla!" Makarov laughed uncontrollably. Evergreen was pissed.

Wendy blushed and smiled nervously. She wasn't very comfortable with this game. She thought it was creepy, especially when Cana had convinced her to wear a bikini the first time she was onstage. She went over to the other side of the divider nervously. Romeo was there, so she felt more comfortable. But Laxus, Max, and Gajeel were there too. And that scared her.

"Uhm. I...I asked "what is your favorite type of magic?'. 1. The strongest kind. 2. Sand manipulation. 3. Dragon Slayer magic. and 4. My magic. I'm going to choose number 3, since I am a dragon slayer, and our magic IS really cool!" Wendy giggled. Romeo jumped up and ran to her, grabbing her hand. She felt instant relief and smiled at him.

"Aww how cute, Fairy Tail's little youngsters! Sky dragon slayer Wendy and rainbow fire wizard Romeo!" Makarov said, winking at the two kids.

Wakaba smoked his pipe as he shuffled through the answers before going to the other side. He had a wife, so this game was wrong for him to be playing in the first place, but his wife was in the crowd having as much fun with it as anyone else. He blew out a cloud of smoke and walked over. Ember, Erza, Levy, and Evergreen were sitting on the stools. He had to admit, he was somewhat disappointed Mira had already gotten a date and couldn't be there. Oh well.

"Mmm, I asked 'what's your biggest turn off that a man could possess?'. 1. Ignorance. 2. Weakness. 3. Not admitting to mistakes. and 3. being too much of a pervert. Hmmm. I guess I will go with number 2. I'm not weak baby!" Wakaba smirked. He heard a disgusted gasp and turned around, it was Evergreen. His eyes bulged out of his head. Great, she was the last female of the four he would want to go on a date with.

"This is getting good! Smoke wizard Wakaba and our actual fairy, Evergreen!" The Master cheered at the crowd. They all cheered back, even Wakaba's wife.

Gritting her teeth, Ember sighed heavily as she looked down at the pieces of paper. She didn't want to do this at all. She had no interest on going out on a date with anyone. Unless it was Laxus of course. But she knew it wouldn't be that easy. She knew the Master didn't want this game to go perfectly for everyone. But she would take it in a mature fashion and with good humor. It was a game afterall. Even though she thought it was a horrible one.

Ember walked to the other side of the divider and was happy to see that Laxus was sitting there. She hoped she was lucky enough to choose his answer, but she didn't let her hopes get too high. Natsu, Gajeel, and Max were also there. With three dragon slayers there, and her a dragon slayer also, there was a huge chance she may pick any one of the three. Wonderful.

"Ok. I had a hard time coming up with a question. But I ended up asking 'how do you view pets?', since I have my very own, and Nunu is extremely important to me. The answers are 1. A pet should be as strong as it's master. 2. Pets are nuances. 3. Cute and cuddly. and 4. Pets should be your best friend and partner. Well…..that's an easy choice then. I go with number 4, because Nunu is definitely my best friend and partner." Ember smiled.

Unfortunately for her, that was Natsu's answer. He looked at her in shock, and at Laxus in fear. Laxus made a face that even made the crowd cringe. He leaned close to Natsu and whispered "Better not touch her, punk." Natsu gulped and nodded. Ember walked off the stage as the Master yelled into the mega phone.

"Alright! Fire dragon Natsu the Salamander and the dragon of Darkness, Ember!" Makarov then turned to Laxus and mouthed 'I'm sorry', with a smirk.

Anger. Impatience. That's all Laxus felt at the moment. He was so mad at his grandfather that at the moment he didn't even want to be related to him. He crumpled the paper with the answers even though in a few seconds he would just have to uncrumple them in order to read them. He walked over to the other side of the divider in a wave of anger. The women cowered from him. Since it was almost the end of the game and there were not many people left, it was three girls instead of four. Erza, Lucy, and Levy.

"Great. These are my options? The crazy redhead, the big boobed bimbo, and the weak book nerd." Laxus sneered.

"LAXUS!" Makarov yelled.

"Ugh. Anyways. I asked 'what is most important in battle?'. 1. Friends. 2. Heart. 3. Strategy. I'm not one for mushy shit, so I will go with strategy." Laxus said, he then crumpled the papers and threw them on the ground, walking off the stage.

Levy looked at Lucy and Erza in fear, because he had chosen her answer. She didn't know what scared her more. Going on a date with Laxus, Ember's anger towards her, or Gajeel over reacting towards Laxus. This could be bad.

Lucy was upset. Natsu had been taken out of the game already, and she didn't want to go on a date with anyone else. She was also still very confused by the kiss he had given her the other day. He hadn't spoken to her since. Her mind was a tornado of negative thoughts. She walked over to the other side and looked at the two remaining guys, Gajeel and Max, and let out a long sigh.

"Okay. Let's finish this. I asked 'how far would you go for friendship?'. Answer 1. I would do anything for my friends. Answer 2. Depends on the friend and the situation. Obviously I am going with Answer 1." Lucy said with a shrug.

The winner was Max. A huge smile was on his face. This game turned out lucky for him indeed. Lucy groaned and walked off the stage.

"Celestial wizard Lucy and sand wizard Max! Wonderful. That means our two last contestants are going on a date as well. Iron dragon Gajeel and the Titania Erza!"

The crowd went wild. The Fairy Tail wizards all gathered behind the stage out of the crowds view. Not everyone was having a good time, and tensions were running high.

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"I hate this. I hate this. I HATE THIS!" Lucy cried, sitting on the ground next to Levy, Erza, and Lisanna.

"Me too. I'm with Laxus. I've been trying to avoid Ember." Levy sighed.

"She knows it's not your fault Levy. Don't worry. And also, I'm with Gajeel, so don't be worried about anything. We probably won't even talk." Erza laughed.

"Guys, I'm with Bickslow." Lisanna whispered. This caused them all to laugh at her expense. She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed.

"Ember, you must be seething in anger right now. Your man has to go on a date with Levy. She is cute, huh?" Cana teased.

"Oh hush. I'm not worried about anything." Ember laughed.

"Elfman has to go on a date with a cat. How humiliating. And me? I'm stuck with that idiot Wakaba. Ugh." Evergreen sighed.

The three girls stood far away from everyone else. They didn't want to be near any drama if a fight was to break out. And considering the games results, there was bound to be one.

"Laxus!" Gajeel yelled.

"What Gajeel?" Laxus sighed, turning around.

"You better not lay a hand on Levy!" Gajeel growled, getting in Laxus's face.

"Wouldn't dream of it. She's not my type." Laxus snickered.

"Are you calling her ugly? I will pump you full of metal!"

"No, I'm not. But are you dense? Or have you just forgotten that I'm with Ember?"

"Oh. Right." Gajeel instantly calmed down. "Sorry man."

Laxus nodded at his fellow guild mate, and Gajeel calmly walked away. Bickslow and Freed laughed while shaking their heads. They were shocked. Considering the results, everyone was acting like adults about it. No one was fighting. Master Makarov would be proud.

"Attention children." Makarov called out.

All the wizards turned from their conversations and looked at their Master. He looked happy as a clam. If anything, they were happy that he had been having a good time. Even if they were not. He had his hands clasped behind his back and he was smiling. He looked suspicious.

"Well round one was fun! Ready for round two? The crowd is getting anxious." He said, a huge toothy grin spreading across his face.

"ROUND TWO?" Everyone yelled.

"That's right." Makarov nodded.

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"Welcome to Round Two of the dating game, Magnolia!" Makarov spoke into the megaphone. The crowd had grown larger, and everyone was as excited for round two as they could possibly get. "So this is how round two is going to work. As you can see, the divider is gone. Each contestant, in the order they came before, will come onstage with their winning date. BUT, they will get to choose someone else, if they want to. The former winning contestant and the person that will be battling for the date themselves now, will have to answer a list of questions. All questions will be the same. The answer sheets will then be handed to the contestant to choose between. Whoever's answers they like best will be their official date. They will either be stuck with the same person, or get their way and have a new date. Let's see how well our wizards do this round!"

The crowd went absolutely insane. All the Fairy Tail members perked up. They would have a chance to get a new date. The Master had given them hope. They just hoped it wasn't shot down.

The questions everyone had to answer are as follows…..

1. What is your perfect idea of a date?

2. Since I am your date, where do you plan on taking me?

3. What will we be doing?

4. If I wasn't your date, who would you want your date to be?

5. What do you like most about me?

6. What do you dislike most about me?

7. In your opinion, who should I be going on a date with?

8. Do you want children?

9. Who is the number one wizard in Fairy Tail? Past or present?

Cana was up again. Macao had won the date with her, and after thinking about it she realized it wasn't so bad. Sure he was an old man compared to her, since she had been frozen in time for 7 years on Tenrou Island, and he hadn't been. But he was always one of her closest friends in the guild, and they frequently drank together anyways. As long as he kept his hands to himself, she figured their date would be like any other time they drank together. But she was given the chance to switch it up, so she was going to take it.

"I'm pitting Macao against Bickslow." Cana announced.

"Why Bickslow?" The Master asked. "The fans want to know, of course."

"Hmm well, we have actually become friends recently. I think a night out on the town with that crazy dude could end up being a wild time."

Cana winked at the crowd, and they cheered. Bickslow and Macao came onto the stage and sat down with the question sheet and a pencil. Cana waited as they filled out the paper, with her back turned to them. She posed and fluttered her eyelashes for the crowd. The guys hooted and hollered as her breasts almost fell out of her blue bikini top. She showed off the Fairy Tail emblem tattoo on her hip. She was having fun, and loved the attention. Makarov came over to her with the two answer sheets. When she picked one she handed it to Makarov so he could announce who it was.

"It looks like Macao comes out the winner!" Makarov yelled to the crowd.

Cana made a pouty face at the crowd and then walked offstage with the guys. Men were yelling "we love you Cana!" and "Come drink with me Cana!" from the crowd. A drink sounded really good.

Freed stood with his eyes closed and his back turned waiting for the answer sheets. He listened as the crowd cheered on the people behind him, and called out his name. He had chosen to bring MiraJane up to answer the questions. It's not that he didn't like Laki, but he didn't know her very well. And while going on a date would allow him to get to know her better, he would really much rather go out on a date with Mira.

Makarov tapped his hand and Freed grabbed the pieces of paper. He read over them and then handed his choice over to the Master. The Master smiled and turned to the crowd.

"Lucky Freed! Mira comes out the winner this time! Congratulations Freed, you get a date with Fairy Tail's infamous MiraJane!" The Master called out.

Freed's cheeks turned rosy. He looked at Mira and she smiled at him, her own cheeks blushing. He couldn't believe it. But he was glad. After reading the answers to the questions he realized one of the girls was actually really weird. And that was Laki. He sighed in relief.

Lisanna smiled and waved as the crowd yelled out how they loved her and wanted to marry her. She had obviously chosen Natsu to come and answer the questions. She had already chosen her winner and was just waiting for Makarov to announce it. She crossed her fingers behind her back, praying and wishing with everything she had that he yelled out Natsu's name.

"Well, it looks like Lisanna is going on a date with Bickslow! I guess our soul controller had better answers than the Salamander! Have fun you guys!" Makarov announced.

Lisanna gasped. For the second time Bickslow had beaten out Natsu. As much as it upset her, there wasn't much she could do about it. So she took it like a champ and walked off the stage with her head held high.

Gray stood on the stage, and just like the first time, he didn't really care to be there. He would have rather just left the game after the first round. Not because he was excited to go on a date with Juvia, but because he thought that this second round could make things worse. On one hand he could just choose not to have anyone come up and accept the date with Juvia, but that might give her the impression that he definitely had feelings for her. On the other hand, if he had someone else come up, this would set Juvia into a rage of jealousy, and that could be just as bad.

"So Gray, who are you going to have come up here? You look like you are in deep thought?" Makarov asked.

"I was thinking. I wasn't sure if I even wanted to go on with this. But I guess in the spirit of the game I will. I'll bring Ember up here." Gray said.

Juvia gasped. Anger and jealousy was written in bold letters all over her face. Ember got onstage embarrassed. Juvia burned holes through her with her stares. She was determined to win the date with Gray. Again!

Gray waited as the girls filled in their answers behind him. Girls in the crowd shouted how much they loved him and wanted to marry him. He smiled, causing them to swoon. Makarov handed him the papers and he read them quickly, handing over his choice.

"Juvia wins! Looks like water and ice really are a match made in heaven after all!" Makarov cheered.

Elfman stood there, flexing his muscles for the crowd. Behind him the white cat Carla and Evergreen wrote quickly. Evergreen looked determined and wrote furiously, almost breaking her pencil. Carla didn't seem to care at all. She looked like she just wanted the game to be over and done with. The only reason she had to participate in the first place was because they were short a girl, and the number had to be even.

Makarov handed the papers to Elfman when Evergreen and Carla were finished. Elfman read them, taking his time, and then handed his choice to Makarov. Makarov smiled at him.

"Looks like you got lucky Elfman. Evergreen wins!"

Evergreen squealed and ran over to Elfman. He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, she laughed as they left the stage.

Wendy had decided she didn't want to have anyone go against Romeo. He would have been her choice anyways, so she skipped her turn. Wakaba couldn't go up next because Evergreen had been stolen from him by Elfman. He wasn't mad about this, because they belonged together anyways. That meant Ember was up next. She was excited to have the chance to get Laxus. Of course she already had him in real life, she didn't need to win him with a game, but even though she didn't show it she didn't want him going on a date with another girl. It made her uncomfortable, and insecure. And she didn't want to go on a date with Natsu. He was like her little brother now. That would be awkward.

"Well Ember, should I even ask? No. Laxus, get up here." Makarov said into the megaphone.

Laxus walked onto the stage. He still wasn't into the game, but he at least wanted to get Ember in his corner. He didn't want her going on a date with anyone unless it was him. He wasn't worried of losing her, he was just protective. Him and Natsu sat down and filled in their answers, neither one of them looking like they even cared to be doing it.

Ember waited patiently for Makarov to hand her the answer sheets. When she got them and began to read them her hands started shaking. She thought it would have been easy to pick out the difference, considering how up front the questions were. But both Laxus and Natsu were equally stubborn, and obviously thick headed. Both of them thinking the other would answer it with obvious answers, they both wrote down stupid and vague ones. Ember had no idea which one was which, and had to base her decision on the answers that didn't obviously show who had answered the question. She finally chose one and handed it to Makarov.

"HAHA the winner is Natsu! Too bad Ember!" Makarov laughed.

"UGH ARE YOU GUYS KIDDING? YOU BOTH ANSWERED THE QUESTIONS LIKE LITTLE KIDS!" Ember yelled at Laxus and Natsu.

She stormed off the stage, the two dragon slayers running after her.

It was Laxus's turn. He had obviously called for Ember to come up. Her and Levy both had similar personalities. Both of them were smart, and both of them liked to read. He was worried that their poetic attitudes would transfer into the answers and he wouldn't know which was which. He was counting on the answer to the most obvious question 'who would you want to go on a date with' or something like that. Obviously Ember would put his name down, and Levy would put down Gajeel. He had this one in the bag.

Makarov handed him the papers and he snatched them away. His face dropped when he read them. What he had feared had been what happened. Both of the girls attitudes had transferred onto the paper. And the question he thought would be his saving grace backfired. Both of the girls had similar ideas. One wrote "a certain dragon slayer" and the other wrote "a strong dragon slayer". He looked at the old man, knowing that he must have given them a rule that they couldn't put down a name because it would be too obvious. He was seething, but he did what he had to and chose one, handing it to the Master.

"Well, it looks like Laxus will still be going on a date with Levy! Tough luck for you and Ember!" Makarov shouted into the crowd. 'Awws' and some laughter went through the crowd in a wave.

"Dammit old man! You set me up!" Laxus growled.

"I did no such thing. It's not my fault you kids are just a bunch of brats." Makarov snickered.

Lucy was loving the attention from the crowd as she posed and smiled for them. But all she could think about was how bad she wanted Natsu to beat out Max in the questionnaire. If she was stuck going on a date with Max she would be seriously upset. He had always been weird in her eyes. But it wasn't even really that, it was because she needed to talk to Natsu after that day. She needed to know why he kissed her, and what it meant.

Makarov handed her the papers. She read them and a giant smile stretched from ear to ear. She handed her choice to the Master, knowing in her heart there was no way that she could be wrong. That piece of paper had to be Natsu's.

"Tough luck Max. It looks like Natsu won this one! Lucky guy!" Makarov cheered.

Lucy was so happy she could explode. Max pouted and walked off the stage. Natsu smiled. It was definitely less awkward going on a date with Lucy than going on a date with someone who was like a sister.

"Erza wins!" Makarov yelled.

"WHAT? YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING?" Gajeel shouted.

"Nope. You should have paid closer attention." Makarov laughed.

Gajeel had been sure that he would know Levy's answers compared to Erza's, but he was wrong. When it came down to it he didn't know how to read women, at all. And that had blown up in his face. He stormed off the stage, sick of the game. Levy hung her head, Erza rubbing her back in an effort to comfort her.

"Well at least it's you Erza. I trust you." Levy sighed.

"Of course. And Gajeel wouldn't do anything funny, even if it was someone else." Erza smiled.

"Maybe you're right." Levy said, blushing.

After the second round six people were left dateless because of how everything played out. For guys there was Warren, Wakaba, and Max. For girls, Ember, Laki and Carla. Instead of there being a third round, the game ended and Makarov chose the pairings himself. Much to his children's dismay.

Ember ended up being paired with Wakaba. Laki with Warren, and Carla with Max. Warren was probably the happiest of all of them. Wakaba didn't want to be anywhere near Ember out of fear of Laxus, and Max certainly didn't want to go on a date with a cat, but he had no choice in the matter.

Makarov had told everyone that they didn't have to go on their dates right away, but that they should do them as soon as possible. Most decided right away was best. The wizards might have been angry with the results of Makarovs little game, but they didn't know he had done it only because he knew that pretty soon he was going to have to send some of his children out on a very dangerous mission, against a very dangerous enemy. And he wasn't entirely sure if all of them would make it back. This hurt his heart, and he had no control over it. But in his mind, he figured if he forced his kids to get to know other boys and girls in their guild, that if the one they loved didn't come home, then it would be easier for them to move on.

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Laxus and Ember sat on her bed. She had her hand in his hair, gently playing with it, and he had his hand on her leg. Sitting in the chairs at Ember's breakfast table was Gajeel, Levy, and Lucy. Natsu sat on top of the table with Happy and Pantherlily. Wendy sat with her legs crossed on the floor, Carla next to her, and Ember's hellhound Nunu's head in her lap. Laxus had told them all to come to Ember's because he had a bad feeling. It had been bothering him all day. He could feel it in his mind and in his gut, and it creeped over his skin.

"So, you think the Master is hiding something?" Lucy asked.

"Yes. I know my grandfather. Something is up. And what's worse is I can feel it. It's like it's in the air." Laxus nodded.

"But why ask us specifically to tell about it? Why not the Thunder Legion?" Levy asked shyly.

"Well Levy, besides you, the exceeds, and Lucy, we are all dragon slayers. If I feel something, there is a chance any of us are feeling it. I figured that I should bring it up to everyone at once, in private." Laxus said.

"But why invite us then?" Lucy questioned.

"Well, to be honest, if Natsu feels something then there is a chance you might too. You guys work together all the time, and spend a lot of time together. Obviously the exceeds come with their partner, just as Nunu goes with Ember. And Levy, your may be able to find information that we wouldn't even begin to think of looking for." Laxus answered.

"Right. I will just listen to everything everyone has to say and then research accordingly." Levy smiled.

"I will be helping you with that when it comes time." Ember said to Levy. Levy smiled at her and nodded.

"Now that you mention it I have had a weird feeling lately. But I thought it was due to that Bone Crusher guy and everything we went through. The injuries and such." Gajeel grunted.

"Yeah. I feel off. Like I don't know what day it is." Natsu agreed.

"That's normal for you Natsu." Lucy giggled.

"This is different." He said seriously. She just nodded.

"I...I have definitely been feeling weird. Laxus, you say it's like you can feel it in the air. I get that. I feel it too. Something is wrong. But also familiar." Wendy sighed.

"Okay, so we are all on the same page then." Laxus slapped Ember's leg as a reaction. She jumped, startled.

"We all need to do some serious thinking. Pay attention to what you are feeling for the next couple of days. If you have any questions, or anything important comes to mind, please talk to each other. If you need to come here, feel free. But PLEASE use the door. Natsu, I'm looking at you specifically." Ember said with a laugh.

"Good luck. He just comes in the window at my place to. All the time, no matter what." Lucy giggled.

"I figured. But either way, something is going on. And we need to figure it out before it falls on top of our heads." Ember said, a grave look on her face. Everyone nodded in agreement.


	11. Chapter 11

Lucy sat next to Natsu sitting on the ledge, their legs dangling, their toes dipping in the water. To go with the spirit of it being a date, Happy had stayed at the guild hall with Carla and Pantherlily. Lucy couldn't remember ever hanging out with Natsu it being just the two of them, she was pretty sure it had never happened.

Surprisingly their day had been wonderful and not awkward. He was a different Natsu, while at the same time not changing at all. He still had his dense moments, sometimes yelled when there was no reason for it, and ate like an animal. But there were small things that were different. He seemed to pay more attention to the fact that Lucy was a girl, and maybe not a friend on the same level as everyone else. He also would touch her differently. Resting his hand on her lower back as they walked, or lightly touching her arm as they waited in line.

Lucy sighed happily and looked up at the night sky. Looking at the patterns the stars made caused her to think about her Celestial spirits. She hadn't been in a battle since Bone Crusher, so she hadn't seen any of them for awhile, except for Plue her Nicola spirit because he was her pet, and Loke, who every so often would drop by just to make sure she didn't forget about him. Then again ever since Loke went back to the Spirit Realm he did check in on Fairy Tail regularly, since he was still technically a member of the guild, while also being Leo the Lion of the Zodiac spirits. Lucy looked over at Natsu and playfully splashed his legs using her feet. He laughed and splashed her back.

"Easy Lucy, if you turn this into a fight I will win!" Natsu laughed, splashing her harder.

"Oh yeah? Is that a challenge?" Lucy flirted.

They started splashing each other more and more, pretty soon they were both almost soaking wet. They didn't notice though, because they were having fun. Lucy decided to take it a step further and reached her hand down to touch the water, planning on taking a big scoopful and getting Natsu right in the face. But this didn't work the way she wanted it to. She lost her balance and fell into the water, on instinct she grabbed Natsu to try and catch herself but only ended up pulling him in with her.

She splashed into the water and opened her eyes. She looked up and could see the blurry light of the moon. Kicking her feet and pumping her arms she swam for the surface. She broke the water's surface with a gasp and started laughing, but she didn't see Natsu.

"Natsu?" She called out, frantically looking around. "Oh my gosh, can he not swim?!"

She felt something grab her foot, and then she was pulled under. Nasty tasting water went into her mouth and down her throat. Opening her eyes she got startled, Natsu was right in front of her face with a huge smile on his. He waved at her, pushed her away, and then swam up. Lucy blew bubbles out of her nose and chased after him.

Natsu was already laughing when Lucy surfaced. She started coughing because of the water she had swallowed. Once her coughing fit had ended and she caught her breath she started laughing too. She used her arm to skim the top of the water and force a wave in Natsu's face. He looked at her, his pink hair falling in front of his eyes, a sly smirk on his face. She put her arms up to guard herself, assuming he would get her back with more water.

He looked at her, and in that moment it felt right. He reached his arms out beneath the water and grabbed Lucy by the waist, pulling her against him. He kissed her, and this time he did it more naturally. It wasn't forced, it wasn't awkward. She didn't pull away at all, allowing her hands to find the back of his head, holding him there. He pressed his hands into her lower back pressing her into him until there was no more space. Men on a passing boat whistled and clapped at them.

They stopped kissing and looked towards the boat, waving and smiling at the men. Torn out of the moment they got themselves out of the water, their clothes drenched. Lucy started to shiver, the night hair mixing with the water on her skin and giving her goosebumps. Natsu looked over at her and noticed her shivering, and noticed the redness in her face.

"Want me to dry you off?" He smiled.

"No, I'm pretty sure you would burn me." She laughed.

"Oh, that's right." Natsu chuckled.

Lucy cleared her throat and stood up. She didn't know what to do next. Natsu stood up as well and turned to her. He looked as easy going and friendly as always. As if what had just happened in the water was nothing. Lucy didn't know if he was just good at hiding what he was really feeling, or if he wasn't as flustered and turned on as she was. She had never felt this way before. It was new to her. Then again, she had never been so close to a guy before either. Her body tingled all over, her face felt warm. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she felt like she had butterflies in her stomach.

"Uhm, I think I'm going to go home. Get out of these wet clothes." Lucy said shyly.

"Okay. I had a lot of fun today. See you tomorrow?" Natsu smiled.

"Of course. I had fun too. Goodnight Natsu." Lucy smiled back.

He gave her a hug goodbye and they parted ways. Lucy started her walk home, shivering in her wet clothes, not turning back to watch as Natsu left even though she really wanted to. She wished he had asked to come home with her, even if it made her feel embarrassed that she felt that way. She also wished that he had kissed her goodbye, instead of just giving her a friendly hug. Natsu was almost as unpredictable as the fire he used to fuel himself. His touch also made Lucy feel like she was bathed in flames.

"Geez Lucy, snap yourself out of it." Lucy laughed at herself.

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Levy and Ember sat at the breakfast table at Ember's place, scanning through numerous books and taking down notes if they deemed it fit to do so. So far they had found nothing. There wasn't anything in any of the books that hinted towards why the dragon slayers were getting a weird feeling from the air. And if there was anything, the girls couldn't find it. And if they couldn't find it, then the guys wouldn't be able to either. Laxus and Gajeel had gone out into the night, taking Nunu with them. They both enjoyed the hellhound, and probably felt tough hanging out with one, at least that's what Levy thought. But she did think it was cute. Gajeel acted tough all the time, but when it came to animals he seemed to have a soft side.

"Levy, this is just useless!" Ember whined, slamming her hands down on the table.

"I know. But this is all we can do. Right?" Levy sighed, leaning back in her chair.

"Yeah. I can't think of anything else. Can you?"

"Nope."

The girls sat there, staring down at the books, at the paper with random scribblings all over it. They couldn't make sense of anything. They couldn't find any hidden meaning. They were snapped out of their trance when water splashed everywhere. The books were wet, the paper was wet and now the writing smudged, their faces were wet. They gasped and jumped out of their chairs in shock having no idea what had happened.

On the table was Natsu, dripping water from every inch of his body. The top of the table was now a giant puddle. There were water marks on the window that he had come in through. Levy looked at Natsu in awe, having no idea why he would be soaking wet. Ember didn't even know how to react. She was angry that the books were wet and all their notes, but at the same time seeing Natsu in his current state made her want to laugh.

"Why in the world are you all wet?" Ember asked.

"Stop trying not to laugh. You can laugh." Natsu said. Ember and Levy immediately started laughing. Natsu sat and waited until they were done. "done?"

"Yes, sorry Natsu." Levy giggled, wiping her eyes.

"Let me get you something to put on." Ember said, still laughing.

She went over to her dresser and opened the bottom drawer. She didn't know if she even had anything she could put Natsu in. He was smaller than she was. Oh well, she figured, at least it was dry. She took out a plain shirt and a pair of plain shorts and tossed them at Natsu. He caught them and jumped off the table.

"They will probably be big on you." Ember said.

"That's fine. At least they are dry." Natsu smiled.

"Exactly!" Ember laughed.

Then Natsu started to strip. Levy and Ember turned red in the face and both turned their backs to him as fast as they could. At the same time, Gajeel and Laxus walked through the door with Nunu. The large beast ran at Ember, jumping up and licking her face. Then he jumped down and circled Levy, panting and nudging her hand so she would pet him. The girls could feel the tension in the room. They side glanced over at the door, Gajeel and Laxus standing frozen in place, looking between the half naked Natsu and the embarrassed girls. Natsu finished getting changed and threw his wet clothes in a corner.

"What….are….YOU DOING?" Laxus yelled.

"I'm going to beat your ass!" Gajeel growled.

"Ember just gave me a change of clothes. Mine were all wet. " Natsu said in a calm voice. He clearly didn't understand what he just did and why it could be a problem.

"Then change in the bathroom!" Laxus gasped. "Are you that dense? No. Don't answer that."

" Oh! Sorry!" Natsu laughed, finally realizing that he had just stripped his clothes off in front of Ember and Levy.

"You can turn around girls. He's dressed." Gajeel huffed, walking over to the table.

The girls turned around and both reached towards Gajeel as if in an effort to stop him, just as he sat on a chair that was wet from Natsu's entrance. He jumped up with a shout, grabbing his now wet butt. He looked around confused.

"W-Why is the chair wet? Why is there water everywhere?" He shouted.

"Natsu came in the window soaking wet. Got water everywhere." Levy giggled.

"You really need to start using the door, punk." Laxus said to Natsu as he walked over to the bed and sat down.

"WHY WERE YOU SO WET?" Gajeel yelled at Natsu.

"Oh yeah about that. Please, do tell. And while you are at it, at least hang your wet clothes out the window." Ember said.

Natsu nodded at Ember and grabbed his wet clothes from the corner, and then hung them out the window. Gajeel had found a dry chair and was now sitting down. Levy jumped on his lap. Ember went and laid down on her bed, putting her legs over Laxus's lap, Nunu jumping up and joining them, almost taking up the entire bed. They were all sitting and waiting for Natsu's explanation.

"Me and Lucy fell in the river." He said.

"How did THAT happen?" Ember gasped.

"Well we went out on that date we had to go on, cause of that game Gramps made us play. And we were splashing each other just messing around and then we fell in." He shrugged.

"Aww that's cute!" Levy chirped.

"Cute?" Gajeel just looked at her.

"Is that all?" Ember asked suspiciously.

"Yeah." Natsu lied. Ember knew he was lying, but she didn't push it.

"Well guys, I think it's time everyone went home. I'm ready for bed." Ember yawned.

No one argued with her. They all gathered their things, said their goodnights, and then left. Gajeel and Levy through the door, Natsu through the window. Ember shoved Nunu off the bed and looked at Laxus. He tackled her and she let out a loud laugh.

00000000000000000000000000000000

"Mira, can I get some breakfast?" Ember asked as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes with her knuckles.

She had woken up and came right to the guild hall. She didn't have any specific reason, she just had felt like it. She dragged herself onto a stool and put her head down on the bar. She wasn't even fully awake yet. She didn't even have Nunu turn into a scythe and come with her. He was curled up on the bed at Laxus's feet still. Laxus probably still snoring.

"Why are you here so early? And where is Laxus?" Mira asked laughing.

"I don't know why I am here. It's like I'm on autopilot. And he's at my place sleeping next to my dog." Ember said.

"Aw that's sweet. But it's kind of weird, you aren't the only one to show up like this." Mira said, looking out at the tables.

Ember lifted her head off the bar and followed Mira's eyes. While some of her guild mates were wide awake and going about their normal daily routines, there were a couple in the same state as she was. Wendy was sitting at a table nodding off, obviously having a hard time waking up. Gajeel was sitting across from her yawning. But Levy, Carla, and Pantherlily were nowhere to be seen.

"It seems to only be you dragon slayers. But, not all of you." Mira nodded.

Just then someone else walked in. But it wasn't a dragon slayer. It was Gray. He was rubbing at his eyes and dragging his feet. He sat down at a table and put his face in his hands, not even looking around.

"I guess not just dragon slayers." Ember said in a low voice.

"Mm. This is odd." Mira said, and then went off to grab Ember some breakfast.

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"Hey Lucy wait up!"

Lucy turned around to see Natsu and Happy coming after her. She stopped and waited in the street, smiling at them both. They finally caught up with her and they continued walking to the guild hall. Both of them had woken up to a telepathic communication from Warren, telling them to go there as soon as they could. They had already been awake when the message came through, so they had taken their time getting ready and then headed out. It was only coincidence that they would run into each other.

They walked together in silence, not saying anything about what happened the night before. It was very heavily on Lucy's mind but she didn't want to be annoying about it. Natsu didn't look like he had been up all night in distress, so she figured saying anything might not be a good idea anyways.

When they arrived they noticed a lot of other people had already gathered, and Master Makarov was at his usual place on top of the bar. He had a drink in his hand and watched them as they went and joined Gray and Juvia at a table. Apparently Lucy and Natsu were not the only guild members to get Warren's message. Juvia had gotten it to. Gray said he didn't, but he woke up with a weird feeling to just go to the guild hall, so he practically slept walk there. This made Natsu point and laugh at him.

"Shut up fire for brains. I'm not in the mood for your crap today." Gray growled.

"Ooh is Gray being a little ice brat today?" Natsu laughed.

Gray jumped across the table and got in Natsu's face. They started bickering as usual, and the girls just ignored them. Happy cheered Natsu on from the edge of the table.

After some time had passed and pretty much all guild members had made their way into the guild hall, Makarov knocked his staff on the bar to get everyones attention. He had a grave look on his face, and this made people uneasy. He waited until everyone was giving all of their attention to him and not a single person was left talking.

"Good morning, I am glad to see you all finally made it." He said, breaking the silence. "I had Warren send out a message with his telepathy to all guild members within Magnolia. Some of you got it while you were sleeping and this caused you to instinctively come here, even though you were still half asleep. I hope you are all awake now. The rest of you got the message when you fully woke up. That's why I assume everyone kept showing up at different times. This is important, so I need all of you to pay attention."

Ember, Wendy, Gajeel and Gray were all finally fully awake. But they didn't like the sound of this. Why would the Master have to send out a telepathic communication? And so early in the morning? All of the wizards were pretty much on the edge of their seats. The group of dragon slayers tensed up, since they had been feeling something wrong lately. Lucy and Levy got tense too, seeings how they knew of the dragon slayers feelings after the meeting in Ember's room. Erza was sitting at the Master's side, her arms crossed over her chest and a serious look on her face. If Warren's message didn't hint to something serious going on, the look on Erza's face definitely did.

"Don't toy with us gramps," Natsu said.

"Yeah, just spit it out. The tension is making me uncomfortable." Gray nodded.

"Bone Crusher has been found. And there is also another enemy. He is responsible for this other enemy, but they are not at the same location. Both of them must be defeated before they can go any farther with whatever they have planned. Fairy Tail isn't working alone on this. Other help will be at the location when you arrive. Two different groups will be sent out, and I have thought very carefully about how these groups were put together and why. No one is to argue with me about it." The Master said in a very serious voice.

"Bone Crusher? Not again!" Lucy cried out.

The guild hall erupted into panicked murmurs. Everyone was talking at once and it started getting loud. Makarov made his fist large with his giant magic and slammed it down on the bar hard enough to make everyone jump. Silence resumed, and their attention was back on him.

"The team that will go out to Bone Crusher's location is Erza, Freed, Bickslow, Evergreen, and Juvia. Freed will set a barrier of runes that will specifically not allow anyone seen as an enemy by those inside to enter the barrier. This will allow battle from a distance. Juvia can turn into water, so she can leave the barrier without the risk of having her bones crushed. This is a huge advantage. The Thunder Legion works amazingly well together and are close to impossible to beat when they are united. This is why I chose this team. Erza is going because she simply refuses to stay behind."

"I refuse to stay behind! I want to go beat this guy!" Gray shouted.

"Me too!" Natsu yelled, his fist in the air.

"Gray, anyone else injured by Bone Crusher will not be going. Only Erza. Natsu, you will be going to the other location." Makarov said.

"Juvia will get revenge for you Gray." Juvia said in a low voice. She seemed timid, but in reality she was ready to kill the man that had hurt Gray. She wouldn't stop fighting until she did.

"The second group will be going to the other location and fighting a very dangerous enemy. I cannot stress this enough. Gajeel, Laxus, Natsu, Wendy, and Ember."

"All the dragon slayers?" Levy asked. This set off a torrent of people asking questions all at the same time. Makarov slammed his fist down again. Silence.

"Master. Is there a dragon?" Mira asked, her hands over her chest.

"Don't ignore her Master! Answer her!" Cana shouted.

"I'm taking your silence as a yes, Gramps. There is a dragon." Laxus sighed.

"It's not a definite. But it's a huge possibility. If the evidence is correct, then yes, there is a dragon." Makarov sighed.

"WHAT IF IT'S IGNEEL?" Natsu shouted at the top of his lungs.

"It is not Igneel. This dragon is our enemy. This is not a dragon that raised you." Makarov answered.

"Master…..Acnologia…." Lucy whined.

"What?" Ember gasped.

"It's possible." Makarov sighed.

"No. Why? Why would it be?" Ember asked frantically.

"The only dragon that has been seen by anyone in recent years is Acnologia. Not including the ones that came from 400 years ago at the Magic Games. They were sent back." Freed explained.

"But….he wouldn't be working with this Bone Crusher guy. He hates humans, he won't work with them. And he's only summoned by Zeref." Ember said, her fists shaking.

"Maybe Zeref summoned him again, to work with this guy." Gray suggested.

"No. I'm telling you, it's not my dad. Trust me." Ember cried, tears spilling down her face.

"But you all need to be prepared incase it is Acnologia. He is the biggest threat we have ever seen. And even when Laxus, Wendy, Gajeel, and Natsu fought him on Tenrou Island, it had almost no effect." Makarov said in a stern voice.

"So what makes you think it will have an effect now?" Lisanna whimpered.

"Like I said, more help will be meeting you at the location. I believe the teamwork of a large team of dragon slayers can defeat any dragon. A properly conducted unison raid could mean the difference between victory and defeat. Pair that with the chance that at least one of you will utilize Dragon Force. And I think we have a good chance." Makarov said, a hint of hope in his eyes.

"No." Ember said. She was shaking. Tears still flowing. Laxus tried to grab her in his arms but she smacked him away.

"Ember…." Laxus gasped.

"It's not….my dad." She choked. And with that she ran out of the guild hall.

"Laxus. Now is not the time to let people just run off on their own. Go after her. Don't let a rift come between you now." Makarov said sadly. Laxus nodded and ran after her.

The Master looked out at everyone and jumped off the bar. Him and Erza walked up to the second floor and left everyone to brainstorm and discuss the scenario. A lot of hearts were breaking.

"I can't believe I am stuck here." Gray snarled.

"I am too, Gray. But maybe it's for the best." Lucy sighed.

She couldn't get bad thoughts out of her head. She was scared to death. While her, Gray, and all the others were sitting safe at the guild hall one group of their friends were going to battle the man that nearly killed some of them not to long ago. And the other group of friends was possibly going to fight a dragon, which could turn out to be Acnologia. In Lucy's heart, she knew if it was Acnologia, that not everyone was coming home.

She turned to talk to Natsu, but he had already left.

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"Ember, please, wait!" Laxus called after Ember as she ran further into the woods.

She was out of breath, she had been for a long time, and she felt like she was going to drop gasping for air any second, but she was pushing herself. She knew Laxus was behind her, but she didn't want to stop. She didn't want to face him and explain her feelings, her reaction. It was better if she just got out of town. She would go back and get Nunu later.

"Ember dammit!Don't make me strike you down with lightning!" Laxus yelled.

"That will be the biggest mistake you ever make Laxus!" Ember called over her shoulder.

"Please, stop running. Talk to me."

She didn't stop running. But Laxus did. He yelled after her, "Fine. But I won't chase you. I didn't chase my father when he ran, and I won't chase you if you keep running. Because when you love someone, you don't force that love on them. You just force yourself to let them go."

His words hit her like a hundred swords. She stopped running, and in that moment she felt her entire body go weak. She had no energy left. She could barely take in a breath. Her heart pounded so hard she swore it was going to burst out of her chest. She felt like she was going to die for real, and she started to panic. But she pushed it aside. She turned around and used the last shred of her energy to run to Laxus. When she reached him she fell into him and he wrapped his arms around her, both of them dropping to the ground. Her entire body shivered violently as she tried to catch her breath. He buried his face in her hair and held her tightly. She took in his scent, the smell of a forming thunderstorm, clouds ready to burst with rain, the smell of electricity in the air, and she let it slowly calm her.

"Ssshh calm down. Breath Ember, breath. If it ends up being Acnologia, I won't fight him. If that's what you want. Even if it means I won't be fighting alongside my comrades. I won't fight your dad." He whispered into her hair.

"I would never…..ask you…..to do that." She gasped, still trying to breathe.

"I've turned my back on my comrades before. I was exiled. I wasn't always the person I am now. But I will do it for you. I will do fucking anything for you." Laxus said gritting his teeth, for the first time in a long while a tear dripped down his cheek.

"No. I still could never do that. This guild is my family too. Fairy Tail is everything to me. It gave me friends, a real family. You misunderstand my sorrow."

"What do you mean?"

Ember pulled away from him gently. She finally had her breath back. She wiped the tears from her eyes and grabbed Laxus's hand, holding it against her face. She kissed it, tears still streaming down her face. He looked down at her, not able to remember ever feeling this type of pain. His father had run off when Makarov had exiled him from Fairy Tail when Laxus was younger, and that caused him a lot of pain. Anything having to do with his father caused him pain. Seeing his guild in trouble now caused his heart to hurt, as did anyone hurting his grandfather. But this was different. Seeing Ember in so much pain made his heart break, it made him want to take down who or whatever was responsible for her tears. His body shook.

"If we have to fight Acnologia, Laxus. Not all of us will come back alive." She said quietly, and then collapsed back into his arms.

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Natsu sat watching the horizon from his and Lisanna's old spot from when they were kids. Happy was curled up next to him snoring. A dragon. He hoped from the bottom of his heart that it was Igneel, and that once Igneel and Natsu reunited there would be no fight. No one would get hurt, and he would see his dad again. But his gut told him differently. He knew it wouldn't be Igneel, because his dad would never align himself with someone like Bone Crusher. He wouldn't show up again to cause anyone harm. That wasn't Igneel. Natsu wasn't scared of dragons, he was confident in his strength and the strength of the other dragon slayers. He knew they could defeat a dragon. But he was honestly afraid that it would be Acnologia. Because if it was, he knew someone would either not return home to the guild, or would come home in really bad shape. Losing his friends, his family, that scared him.

He heard rustling in the trees behind him and stood up. When he turned around he saw Lisanna standing there, sweat dripping down her face, crying, and out of breath. She walked slowly towards him, and the look on her face made him feel his own sadness.

"Lisanna, what's wrong?" He asked, meeting her halfway.

"I'm scared….Natsu." She breathed.

"Of what?"

"That you won't come back."

He walked closer to her and grabbed her in a hug. She hugged him back tightly crying into his shoulder. The smell of her reached his nose. She smelled of honeysuckles and a summer breeze.

"I'm going to come back. We all are. Trust me." He said gently.

"But….what if….what if you don't" she cried.

"Lisanna. When you disappeared and we all thought you were dead, you came back. You came back to me. And I will always come back to you."

She pulled away and looked him in the eyes. He gave her the sweetest smile, and rose buds bloomed on her cheeks. She felt his fingers gently grip her chin and lift her face up, and then once again his lips were touching hers. But this time it was different. She threw her arms around his neck and he held her face in his hands. It was only her and him, the world disappeared.

Natsu finally knew what Ember was talking about. The feeling that you get, and that you will know it. His skin lit up like a thousand dancing flames. He had thought it was Lucy he would have felt this way with when he kissed her that time in the river, but he had been wrong. Of course he had some feelings where Lucy was concerned, but not on the same level as with Lisanna. She had been gone for a long time, and when she first returned he didn't think his feelings had returned with her. Not until recently. And at that moment, her face in his hands and nothing between them but their own skin, he now knew. He would come home to Fairy Tail. He would come home to Lisanna.


	12. Chapter 12

Freed and Levy sat together in the guild hall going over the final details of the rune barrier Freed would be casting during the battle with Bone Crusher. Levy had brought up a good point that there needed to be more details than just "whoever is seen as an enemy cannot cross the barrier" because that would keep Bone Crusher physically away from them, but might not block his magic. They worked together to revise the spell so that it blocked specifically any one from being inside the barriers bones from breaking. Because of Levy's help, Master Makarov figured she may be needed in battle at some point if something went wrong, so she was now also going to the battle with Bone Crusher. The group was now Freed, Levy, Erza, Bickslow, Juvia and Evergreen. And whoever was meeting them there from other guilds for support.

Another detail that had been overlooked was the problem of the two female wizards Cheza and Jesy. Information on them was that they were in the Magic Council's prison still, but the wizards of Fairy Tail were preparing for them just in case they somehow were to escape.

"Well we should get going Levy, so that we can get to the location and set the rune barrier before the others arrive." Freed said, getting up from the table.

"I'm ready to go. We should probably let everyone know we are leaving." Levy sighed.

"No. We should probably just go."

Levy looked at Freed in shock, ready to argue with his logic. But she ultimately decided against it. She nodded in agreement and grabbed her things. The two wizards slipped out of the guild hall quietly and made their way to Bone Crusher's location. Hoping he didn't sense them before they could cast finish casting the rune spell.

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The dragon slayers were all together in Ember's room. In the morning, they would all be leaving Magnolia and traveling to Mt. Florencia, a large mountain with a small cultural city at it's base. This is where their enemy was. This was where a possible dragon was sitting in wait, ready to attack at any moment. It was their job to find this enemy, and defeat it. There was no confirmation that it was definitely a dragon, but all the evidence suggested it was. They could only hope that the five of them, plus the other's that would join them at the location, would hold enough power to defeat it.

"So, it's only right to assume that we will be meeting up with other dragon slayers then?" Gajeel asked.

"That's my guess." Ember shrugged.

"Sting and Rogue of Sabertooth probably." Natsu scoffed.

"And probably Cobra." Laxus added.

"Great. No sibling rivalry during this alright? We don't have the time for it!" Gajeel growled at Ember.

"I am not a child Gajeel. I don't plan on bickering with my brother if there is a freaking dragon in front of my face!" Ember snapped.

"Guys, calm down." Wendy whimpered.

"Anyways, we should probably think about strategies." Laxus said.

They all looked at each other, measuring their team mates up in their minds. Lightning. Iron. Fire. Air. Darkness. Each dragon slayer was unique in their abilities. Each one a serious threat to any enemy if they used their powers the right way. And each one of them possibly terrifying if they were to utilize Dragon Force.

"Ember, what exactly is your dragon slayer magic? Specifically?" Wendy asked.

"I don't know, really. It's dangerous I know that. I won't be using it unless completely necessary." Ember said.

"You've gotta be shittin me?" Gajeel shouted.

"Listen, you've seen my dad right? Acnologia? HE taught me what I know. Think about it." Ember growled.

"Whatever. Excuses." Gajeel huffed.

"Anyways I think Unison Raids and Dragon Force are our best bets here." Laxus said.

"Agreed." Everyone else said in unison.

"So let's talk strategy then."

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The rising sun bathed the city of Magnolia in it's brilliant light. The birds sang their happy morning songs, the leaves on the trees dancing along in the summer breeze. It was a beautiful day, but for the Fairy Tail wizards despite the sun shining it was gloomy. This was the morning they would see off two teams of their wizards to epic battles. Battles they may not come back from, or at the very least not come back the same. The guild members were hugging, kissing, crying, wishing each other good luck. Some farewells harder than others.

Gray stood in front of Juvia, his hands in his pockets and his eyes turned towards the ground. She had her hands clasped behind her back, a sad but also determined look on her face. She knew that Gray wanted to go, and as much as she wanted to fight alongside him she was glad he was staying at the guild. She just couldn't think of seeing him laying in sick bay injured again, staring at the ceiling and worried he would never be able to use his ice-make magic the same way again. She would get revenge for him. She would defeat the wizard that made him feel such pain.

"Gray, Juvia will win." She said in a low voice. He looked her in the eyes.

"I have faith in you. Just come back in one piece alright?" Gray said in a serious and firm voice. She nodded at him and went to turn away.

Gray grabbed Juvia's wrist and she stopped. He hesitated for a moment but then he pulled her into a hug. Her cheeks turned red and her lips curled into a smile. She hugged him back. She would come back in one piece. She would come back to her Gray, no matter what. He released the hug and cleared his throat, just as Erza was walking over to them. She was all armored up and ready for battle, her flowing red hair blowing behind her in the breeze.

"I would hug you Gray, but I will save that for when I get home." Erza smiled.

"Sounds good to me." Gray smiled back.

Ember held Evergreen's hands in her own, smiling at her friend. Bickslow and Laxus stood beside them and gave each other a manly nod. Ember and Laxus had wanted to wish Freed luck, but he had already left the day before with Levy. Gajeel hadn't been happy about this and stood off to the side with his arms crossed not saying anything to anyone. Ember was scared for her friends, but Laxus had reassured her that the Thunder Legion was a force to be reckoned with. She had faith in them, but that didn't erase the fear she felt in her heart. She had gone against Bone Crusher. She knew what he was capable of.

"I have to go say goodbye to Elfman. Be safe Ember, Laxus. We will celebrate immensely when we all return." Evergreen said with a smirk.

"Of course. You guys be safe too." Ember smiled. The girls hugged each other.

"Bickslow, get our friends back home safe. I'm counting on you." Laxus said, slapping Bickslow on the back.

"Me and my babies will take care of everything Laxus! Don't you worry!" Bickslow laughed.

"Don't worry! Don't worry!" his demonic babies repeated after him.

Evergreen turned and ran to Elfman. Bickslow walked over to Erza and Juvia signalling that he was ready to go, his Babies right behind him. Ember looked at Laxus with a sad face and grabbed his hand. He squeezed her hand and smiled at her, letting her know that he was there, and that everything would be alright.

"Wendy, I know you will beat this dragon. You and Natsu are going to kick so much ass!" Romeo cheered.

"Watch your mouth!" Macao snapped.

"Sorry dad." Romeo giggled, his cheeks blushing.

"We totally will though!" Wendy smiled, Carla at her side.

Romeo looked at Wendy shyly and shuffled his feet. She blushed. Macao watched the two kids, his heart warming at their innocence and resolve. He loved seeing his son smile like that. And he didn't want that smile to go away. He prayed in his mind that all his guild mates came home safely, so that his sons smile didn't disappear again.

Lisanna held onto Natsu and cried into his shoulder. He just kept smiling and reassuring her that she had nothing to worry about, that he was going to come back, no matter what. He wasn't afraid of any dragon, because he was a dragon! His carefree attitude made Lisanna giggle and she finally let him go. She knew that no matter how hard she hugged him, that he still had to leave. There was no stopping it.

"I'll see you when you get back." She chirped.

"You got it!" Natsu smiled wide.

Lucy walked up to them. She couldn't shake the sadness that she felt. Not only because she was scared that Natsu wouldn't come back, but because she had seen the way things had changed between him and Lisanna. Her heart was breaking in her chest, and she didn't know how to deal with it. And to make it worse, she had to say goodbye to Natsu, not knowing what was going to happen. She was so used to going on missions with him, not saying goodbye to him as he went off on a dangerous one without her.

"Lucy…." Natsu sighed.

"Come back alright. I don't know what I will do if you don't come back." Lucy whimpered.

Tears started to stream down her face, and her shoulders shuddered with her soft sobs. Natsu walked over to her and grabbed her into a hug, kissing her hair. He squeezed her. This was his best friend. He had always been there for Lucy, and her there for him. He didn't plan on not being there for her anytime soon.

"You know me better than that. I'm all fired up!" Natsu laughed. Lucy started to giggle and Natsu let her go. He knew she would be okay.

The two groups stood together, looking at the guild mates they were leaving behind. They waved and blew kisses, shouted things to each other. The crowd parted and Master Makarov and Mira came through. They looked at the teams, pride in their eyes and sorrow in their hearts.

"Good luck guys! See you when you get back!" Mira chirped, giving them all a huge smile.

"Now go do what Fairy Tail does best my children. Win." Makarov said. He held his arm up towards the sky, one finger pointing up and his thumb out, making the shape of an L in the air. Everyone else followed his lead, raising their hands to the sky and pointing to the heavens.

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Freed and Levy stood inside the protective barrier waiting for their comrades. They knew they were close, because they could sense them. They could also sense other magical power close by. Dark magic power. They were on the defense, Levy studying their surroundings down to every detail, Freed's hand on his sword ready to pull it out if he needed it. Luckily they were able to cast the barriers spell without any interruptions. This had shocked them and also made them feel uneasy. They knew their enemy was close by and wondered why they hadn't shown themselves yet.

The forms of their friends were now in their view and they smiled. They were getting closer to battle, which meant closer to going home. Within a few moments Erza, Juvia, Evergreen and Bickslow were within the barrier with them. All of them looked determined and ready to fight. All of them ready to win.

"No interruptions while casting your runes, Freed?" Erza asked. She could see the purple runes glittering in the sunlight, hovering in the air.

"No surprisingly. It makes me suspicious." Freed said.

"Mmm yes. That is rather suspicious, but good luck all the same." Erza smiled.

"I guess we just sit and wait for him to make a move then." Evergreen shrugged.

"Yes. Don't get impatient and go outside the barrier, that's probably what he wants." Erza said.

"Of course that's what he wants!" A voice said from behind them.

The Fairy Tail wizards turned around. They had company. Their help had arrived. Joining them in the rune barrier was three other wizards. Lyon of Lamia Scale, a powerful ice-make wizard and Gray's childhood friend and rival made his presence known. With him was Jellal and Racer of Crime Sorciere. Erza and Jellal hugged happily, even if they were reuniting for a battle it was still a chance to see each other. And this they would not complain about. Lyon greeted Juvia with a cordial bow, showering her with compliments of her beauty. She blushed at his affections, but could only think of Gray.

"Well, where is this guy?" Lyon said, running his hand through his spiky silver hair.

"Close." Freed said, looking at the land around them.

"Wow I hate mountains." Ember sighed, trying to catch her breath.

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The dragon slayers had been hiking up the side of Mount Florencia for what felt like days, but had only really been close to an hour. They were almost to the top when they reached a clearing with a huge cave mouth, no light inside to be seen. Standing by the cave stood three figures. As they got closer they recognized who the people were. Standing close together to one side was Sting and Rogue of Sabertooth. Sting was the White Dragon Slayer, his spiked hair as yellow as the sun, and his exceed Lector at his feet. Rogue, the Shadow Dragon Slayer had eyes the color of spilt blood and hair that fell in front of his face as dark as midnight. In his arms was Frosch, an exceed dressed as a frog. Cobra was also there, but he stood alone.

"Wow, eight dragon slayers!" Wendy chirped.

"This is going to be one hell of a fight!" Natsu cheered.

"Hey, long time no see Fairy Tail!" Sting said with a smile. Lector and Frosch waved.

"I should have figured it would be you guys that would be meeting us." Laxus said.

The dragon slayers stood in a group now. Eight of them in total. All of them fully capable of harnessing their elements in a fight. If they could all work as a team, there was no way they could lose against any enemy. Not even a dragon. Ember had a passing thought that this group may even be able to defeat her dad, Acnologia. And better yet, the man who created her, Zeref.

"So, who is this chick? Never seen her before." Rogue asked.

"Frosch too!" the little exceed called from his arms.

"This is Ember. She's a dragon slayer like the rest of us, first generation." Gajeel said.

"Yeah! Her dad is Acnologia!" Natsu hooted with a giant grin.

"What?" Rogue and Sting exclaimed.

"Let's not dwell on such details shall we." Laxus huffed.

Sting and Rogue looked at Ember with untrusting eyes. She could sense their uncertainty about her. She could even smell the little bit of fear they had. But she would prove in this fight whose side she was on. She would defend her guild and her friends, no matter what it took. It didn't matter to her if two dragon slayers from a different guild didn't trust her, or even like her. As long as they put as much effort into the fight as everyone else. Cobra went up to Ember cautiously. She looked at him through the corner of her eye, but refused to directly look at him.

"I came to see you after your fight with Bone Crusher. I'm sorry I had to leave before you woke up." He said with a sigh.

"I know you came. Thank you." She responded. But she still didn't look at him. He took the hint and left her alone.

"So where is this enemy?" Gajeel asked, looking around.

"We were thinking inside the cave, deep inside, which would be why we can't smell him. But that's our best guess." Rogue explained.

"So you guys definitely think it is a dragon?" Laxus asked.

"Yes." Sting, Rogue, and Cobra all said at once.

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Everything was calm, and then all at once it wasn't. An arrow shot into the barrier and into the ground in front of Levy. She looked down at it just as it exploded, throwing her onto the ground. Jellal and Erza rushed to her and helped her up, Erza drawing her sword. Freed had his sword drawn and stood next to Lyon, his hands at his side ready to make anything out of ice that could help defend them. Or attack. Juvia stood by Racer towards the back. They knew why they were here. They were foot soldiers. If any one had to leave the barrier, it would be them. Juvia, her body water, could avoid any breaking of bones. And Racer moved so fast that there was no way Bone Crusher's magic could have an effect, because he had to be able to see the bones breaking in his mind. If he couldn't see his victim, he couldn't break their bones. Evergreen and bickslow took up defense close to Levy.

Another arrow came, but this time Freed cut it in half with his sword before it could land anywhere. The arrow fell to the ground in two pieces, and melted into the Earth. They could hear laughter, and three figures walked out from the shadows of the forest. Bone Crusher, and on either side of him was Jesy with her bow and arrows, and Cheza in her seductive clothes. The wizards had been prepared for the event of Cheza and Jesy escaping prison. They just didn't think it would have been accomplished so soon. But the two female wizards stood right before their eyes.

"Great. They did escape." Erza growled.

"We were prepared for this. Don't let it shake you." Jellal said to her with a smile. She nodded.

Their three enemies approached them, but stopped about ten feet from the barrier. They were not stupid, they knew it was there. They had been watching. But this barrier didn't bother them, in their mind they were the superior wizards. Cheza shot a forceful blast at the group, and it hit Evergreen. She was almost blown out of the barrier but caught her footing in time. She knew that the second she was out of the protective spell's range, her bones would snap. And she was not going to let that happen. She shot a shower of retaliating glittering bombs at Cheza, but she dodged it. Bickslow sent his babies out of the barrier and after Cheza. They attacked her and she fell to the ground with a cry. She shot Bickslow a dirty look and sent a blast at him, he dodged.

"If her blasts hit you, it will knock you out of the barrier, so do your best to dodge them!" Jellal shouted at his comrades.

"So she's the first one we should take out then?" Lyon smirked, ice forming in his hands. "Ice-make tiger!"

A giant tiger made of ice exploded into creation and rushed at Cheza. She turned onto her back just as the tiger was bearing down on her and blasted it into a million pieces. Lyon gritted his teeth. Jesy loaded her bow with an arrow and shot it at Levy.

"SHIELD!" Levy yelled, the word shield appearing in front of her in solid script and blocking the attack.

Erza re-quipped her armor to Fire Empress. She sent a fire attack at Jesy but she dodged it while at the same time sending another arrow at them, this time directed at Erza. Erza blocked it with her weapon and sent more fire at Jesy, but again it missed. She re-quipped into Lightning Empress armor and sent a strong bolt of lightning at her. This time it hit. Jesy screamed as her body jolted with the electricity and fell to the ground groaning.

"Jesy!" Cheza yelled. Her eyes lit up with anger and she got back to her feet. Bone Crusher stood back, not attacking or defending, letting his girls do the fighting for him.

Racer took this as an open opportunity. He disappeared in the blink of an eye and then quickly reappeared behind Bone Crusher, landing a punch to the back of his head. Then he was back inside the barrier as if he had never even left. Bone Crusher stumbled forward, touching the back of his head confused. He hadn't seen anything and had no idea where the blow had come from. This made him angry, but he still didn't make any moves to attack.

Jesy started to move. She was weak and slow, but she had enough energy in her to shoot one more arrow. She decided on the one that makes every nerve ending in the body feel like it is burning. She shot it at her enemies and then fell back to the ground. The arrow hit Bickslow in the leg and he fell to his knees howling in pain. Evergreen ran to him and pulled the arrow out, hoping that her assumption that if the arrow wasn't piercing you then it's effects would go away. Luckily she was right. Bickslow thanked her and got back on his feet. He took off his helmet, his eyes glowing green.

Everyone made sure to not look in Bickslows direction, knowing that if they made eye contact that he would be able to control their soul. Even if they were not his enemies, they didn't want to risk it. Bone Crusher, not knowing of Bickslow's power instinctively looked him in the eyes at the sight of them glowing. Bickslow laughed, he had him. He made Bone Crusher turn to Jesy, and forced him to break all the bones in her legs and arms. If she had been unconscious she wasn't now. Her screams caused everyone to cover their ears, they echoed through the forest. Cheza yelled for her sister, tears streaming down her face.

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The dragon slayers all looked at the cave entrance at the same time. They could smell him. They could feel his magic. He was coming.

The ground started to shake under their feet, rocks loosening themselves from the mountain and raining down on them. They used their arms as shields against the falling rocks. As the beast got closer to the mouth of the cave it's smell got stronger. The ground shook with more force. The dragon slayers braced themselves, not knowing exactly what they would see come out of the cave. It came out all at once, towering over them like a mountain itself. It was slim, and muscular, and huge. It's scales were the color of fertile soil, it's eyes the color of freshly bloomed leaves. The wings on it's back had patterns that looked like the rings of a tree when you cut it open. In front of them, with razor sharp teeth and claws was an Earth dragon. A living, breathing, dragon.

"You gotta be shitting me! It's a real fucking dragon!" Laxus gasped.

"No kidding!" Gajeel said in shock.

"Don't just sit there and stare! ATTACK IT!" Natsu shouted.

His fists engulfed in flames, Natsu ran at the dragon. He launched himself in the air and went for it's face. The dragon turned with such quickness for it's size that it caught everyone off guard. It's tail knocked Natsu right out of the air, and he slammed to the ground with such force that it created a small crater. He got up and brushed himself off, running to attack. The dragons tail side swiped him again, it's speed still catching him off guard. He flew threw the air and right into Sting, sending them both tumbling.

Gajeel turned his arm into an iron sword and ran at the dragon. As it swiped it's tail Gajeel swung his arm, the sword landing a hit but not causing much damage. The dragons scales were to hard. Gajeel fell to the ground and landed on his feet. Ember took her scythe off her back and sent a Hell Fire attack at the dragon. The dragon couldn't dodge the flames, and they hit, but the beast didn't even flinch. It's roars hurt their ears, but they wouldn't back down.

"Cobra and Laxus, I'll use my magic to support you!" Wendy called out.

Laxus and Cobra got ready to attack, poison and lightning engulfing their bodies. Wendy stood behind them, using her Sky magic to both propel them forward and power up their attack strength. They slammed into the dragon, sparks flying and poison spreading over it's scales. Happy and Pantherlily flew to them and caught them in the air, carrying them to the ground so they would land gently. Natsu and Sting were back on their feet.

"Sting, you and Rogue can use Dragon Force willingly. Do a unison raid!" Natsu said. Sting nodded and ran to Rogue.

The twin dragon slayers of Sabertooth initiated Dragon Force. Sting was bathed in a holy white light, snow white markings striping his face, arms and stomach. Rogue became engulfed in shadows, black swirls up and down his arms, black stripes on his face. They merged their power, light and shadow mixing together and a wonderful dance.

"SHADOW DRAGON…" Rogue yelled.

"WHITE DRAGON…." Sting shouted.

"ROAR!" They both cried out together.

A pillow of blinding white light and void black shadows swirled towards the Earth dragon. The dragon roared, it's mouth sending out a force of wind, almost knocking it's attackers onto their backs. The unison raid of Sting and Rogue's dragon roar attacks made a direct hit, and for once there was some damage. The dragon was pushed backwards leaving deep tracks in the ground. It shook off the attack, but it had left it's mark. Sting and Rogue fell to their knees. They had put everything they had into that Unison Raid, but the dragon wasn't anywhere close to being defeated.

The dragon slayers had to think hard about what they were going to do next. They were down two team mates. The dragon was still immensely strong. They had to work together, and they had to attack with everything they had. They needed a strategy. If everyone was down and out of magic power at once, it would be the end of them.

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Cheza stood up, her knees shaking. She looked at her enemies. One of them would get their bones broken, she would make sure of it. She would avenge her sister for the dirty trick they had pulled. Bone Crusher was no longer under Bickslow's control, but the damage was done. Jesy was unconscious and not feeling any more pain. But she was dying. Bone Crusher was ready to break bones. He didn't care who's, as long as it was one of the brats he was fighting.

"They are going to attack." Erza said to her team mates.

"We're ready." Lyon nodded.

Cheza straightened her body out and closed her eyes. Her magic power began to flow around her, blowing her long blonde hair around as if she was in a wind tunnel. The wizards inside the barrier balked. She had not shown this much power at any time during the fight. She was stronger than she had let on. The only thing they could do was prepare for her attack, and defend against it.

It looked as if Cheza was summoning her power directly from the Earth. The aura of magic around her got bigger and bigger. She was putting everything she had into this attack. She knew that she would be down for awhile after, but that didn't matter to her. She would knock one of them out of the barrier. At least one. She sent her attack at them, the force so strong it warped the world around it. It crossed the barrier and hit three wizards at once. Erza, Evergreen, and Lyon went flying.

Jellal jumped at Erza and wrapped his arms around her, both of them falling to the ground before they reached the other side of the barrier. Evergreen and Lyon flew past the barrier and into open territory. The second Evergreen crossed the Bone Crusher got her. She screamed in pain as the bones in her arms and legs broke, just like what had happened to Jesy. She fell to the ground unconscious and limp, but still breathing.

Juvia and Racer ran out of the barrier to get their comrades. Racer grabbed Evergreen and returned her to the safety of the barrier, setting her to the ground gently and sitting down next to her, resting her head on his lap. Juvia grabbed Lyon, but she wasn't fast enough to totally avoid the Bone Crusher. Just before they could cross the barriers threshold Lyon screamed in pain as his wrists broke. He dropped to the ground once he was safe and tears burst from his eyes. Juvia knelt beside him and put her arm around him. She felt pain in her heart. Lyon was suffering the same exact injury that Gray had suffered. And it would effect him the same exact way.

Cheza smiled at them. Her attack had been a success. She dropped to her knees and laughed. They couldn't escape. If they left their barrier their bones would snap into pieces. All she had to do was wait. She would be able to power up again, and when she could, she would knock more of them out of the barrier. And she would laugh along to the sound of their insides shattering.

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No matter how many attacks they landed, the dragon was still standing. They were beginning to doubt their power, and their strength. What was the point of being a dragon slayer if they couldn't slay a dragon? The fact that their confidence was wavering was becoming obvious. Their attacks got slower. They began to run out of breath. Emotions were the strength behind all magic power, and their current emotions were bringing them down instead of propelling them forward. If they kept fighting in this state they would all eventually end up on the ground depleted of energy. And they would fail.

Wendy fell to the ground out of breath. Carla flying to her aid. She looked around her at her friends. Tears burned in her eyes. She didn't know what to do. Her magic was running low, and her friends were losing confidence. Sting and Rogue were still down, no way of their magic power replenishing itself anytime soon. They needed rest. But so far their Unison Raid had been the most effective. Cobra and Natsu were still attacking relentlessly. Neither fire nor poison currently having much effect on the Earth Dragon. Cobra had even gone into Dragon Force, his hands taloned purple scaled claws. His claws left slices in the dragons scales, but they were to small for enough poison to have much of an effect. Gajeel had already gone into Dragon Force a long time ago, but now he laid on the ground depleted of magic power. His metallic scales slowly going back to normal human skin.

"Carla, maybe if I can use enough Sky magic to force one of the others into Dragon Force." Wendy suggested.

"Could that work?" Carla asked.

"Maybe. I was told to not heal anyone because it was a waste of my powers in this battle, but maybe I can do that. I have to help them."

"Which one of them? Natsu, Laxus, or Ember?"

"I don't know. Maybe Laxus. Ember would hate me if I did that to her. And Natsu's emotions will eventually get the best of him and make him stronger."

"Then do it."

Wendy stood up. She tilted her head towards the sky and sucked in the fresh mountain air, her belly bloating. When she had her fill she concentrated all her power onto Laxus. She hovered off the ground in a whirlwind, her blue hair swirling around her face. Laxus started to feel himself change. He let out a scream, his muscles bulging and his shirt ripping right off his body. A barrier of lightning burst around him as the skin on his arms turned into scales. Ember was thrown onto the ground by the sheer force of his power. Cobra and Natsu looked over their shoulders as they attacked the dragon.

The dragon started to flap it's wings and rise off the ground. Natsu and Cobra jumped back and shielded themselves from the wind that came from the force of the flapping wings. The dragon hovered above them, roaring and making their bones vibrate.

"The dragon is going to attack!" Natsu shouted.

"Laxus! Ember!" Cobra yelled.

Laxus stood at his full height, his eyes brilliant beacons of light. The lightning around him grew, the light from it blinding to everyones eyes. With an earth shattering cry he sent a full powered Thunder Dragon Roar at the dragon in the sky. A blinding pillar of lightning brighter than the sun shooting full force forward. The attack hit the dragon and it let out a pain filled roar. It fell to the ground with explosive force. Dirt and rocks shot up into the air in a gigantic cloud. The ground shook and cracked, the mountain itself quaking.

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"Is she going to be okay?" Levy whimpered.

"We need to end this battle fast in order to get her back to the guild. I don't know how long she can last in this state." Erza said, her fists shaking.

Evergreen was still unconscious and on the ground, Racer still supporting her head with his lap. Lyon had stopped screaming from his pain and had gone numb. There was nothing more he could do with his wrists broken, he was out of this fight. Juvia sat on the ground next to him, hoping her presence at least gave him comfort. Freed and Bickslow's anger flowed off of them in waves. They wanted to take down Bone Crusher, but they knew they couldn't leave the barrier because it wouldn't help anyone, and they would just end up like Evergreen. But seeing their team mate, and fellow member of the Thunder Legion in this state, made them seethe. Jellal sighed heavily, not having any ideas.

Erza re-quipped into her most beloved and famous armor, Heavens Wheel. Silver wings spread out from her back, and the sun reflected off of the many panels of this incredible armor. One by one multiple swords popped into existence behind her, their points facing her enemy, Bone Crusher. She walked forward to the edge of the rune barrier. No one made a sound. Bone Crusher just watched, curiosity on his face. No one spoke, they just watched.

"Dance my blades. CIRCLE SWORD ATTACK!" She cried out.

The swords shot forward in a frenzy, headed directly at Bone Crusher. His eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped. Everyone stopped breathing. There was a flash of light and dirt flew into the air creating a cloud. When the dust settled they expected to see Bone Crusher on the ground, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"W-What?" Erza gasped.

"WHOOPS YOU MISSED!"

They all looked up to see Bone Crusher falling back to the ground. He had dodged the attack and all the swords by jumping into the air at the right moment, and none of them had seen it. Erza grinded her teeth and her knuckles turned white with the pressure of squeezing her hands so tightly into fists. Jellal was in shock. He looked at Erza, but she would not look away from Bone Crusher.

"Erza. Juvia has an idea." Juvia said from the back of the group.

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Laxus fell to his knees. He had no idea how he had gone into Dragon Force, but he was glad to see that his attack had an effect on the dragon. Natsu and Cobra gave each other a high five. They had taken down a dragon! Sting, Rogue and Gajeel smiled. Ember winked at Wendy and reattached her scythe to her back. Wendy was proud. Not only of herself, but of her team mates. They had all done so well.

Then the dragon started to move. Everyone gasped in horror. They had gotten cocky, and too ahead of themselves. Now they were down to Natsu, Cobra, and Ember. Laxus had used everything he had, and Wendy has done the same by forcing him to use all his power at once. Genuine fear passed from one dragon slayer to the other as the Earth dragon stood back up onto it's feet.

Cobra launched himself at the dragon surrounded by a cloud of poison. The dragon lifted one clawed talon and swiped him right out of the air, sending him to the ground. He hit the ground hard, rolling and tumbling in a cloud of dirt and rocks. Ember ran to him and dropped down to her knees beside her brother.

"Cobra! No!" She cried.

"I'm….I'm okay. Don't worry about me." He smiled, and then he passed out. She made sure he was still breathing and when she realized he was got to her feet. Natsu ran over.

"Ember! What the hell do we do now?" He asked.

"We have to beat it. We have no choice. Are you ready for this Natsu?" Ember asked.

He smiled wide and they bumped their fists together. They turned to the dragon, mentally preparing themselves to go at it with all they had. Ember grabbed her scythe and was beginning to summon the power of Nunu and transform herself into the hellhound form Natsu had seen when they battled Jesy and Cheza together, when the dragon started preparing to attack. They got ready to defend or dodge the attack, but it wasn't them the dragon was after. An Earth dragon roar of wind, rock, and dirt flew in a pillar directly at Laxus.

"NO!" Ember shouted and lunged herself towards Laxus, not caring about the dragons attack.

The attack blew the earth apart around them. Debri flew everywhere, causing everyone to shield themselves. They coughed as they tried to breath in the dirty air. The dragon slayers all looked to Laxus, hoping that he was still in one piece.

"Ember! Laxus!" Natsu yelled running over to them.

Laxus opened his eyes. Ember was on top of him. She had shielded him from the attack. They were surrounded by a bright blue light, tendrils of black shadows curling towards the sky. Her face and arms were covered in the same blue markings Laxus remembered seeing on Acnologia. Her eyes were all blacked out. She lifted herself off of him and stood up. Natsu stopped running and skidded to a stop. Wendy grabbed Carla into a hug. Sting, Rogue and Gajeel looked at her in awe, their hands shaking. She had gone into Dragon Force.

"E-Ember?" Natsu stammered. She turned to him.

"I've had enough. This ends now." She said.


	13. Chapter 13

"Master, I'm really worried." Mira sighed. She stood behind the bar, wiping it clean with a cloth.

"Try not to worry yourself too much Mira." Master Makarov said, smiling at her.

"Speak for yourself, old man." Cana slurred with a hiccup. She had been drinking non-stop since everyone had left for battle.

Makarov closed his eyes and let out a sigh. Of course he was worried, so how could he tell anyone else not to worry? His children, his guild, was out fighting not only one but multiple dangerous enemies. His own grandson was out there as well. He had seen the pain on the faces of those of Fairy Tail who stayed behind. The worry was so thick in the air that you could part it with your hands. If you swung a sword at it a wound would probably appear, and the sadness would bleed out. But he had faith in his guild, and all his brats. He knew how strong they were, and how their emotions could power them.

Porlyusica walked into the guild hall, her face looking aged with worry but her eyes blank. She walked over to Makarov and looked down at the tiny old man as he sat on top of the bar. She carried a bag with her, filled with medicines, cures, and herbs.

"Makarov, this stress is bad for your heart." She groaned.

"Mmm. What brings you here Porlyusica?" Makarov nodded.

"I figured that I should be here when your children return." She said matter-of-factly. And then she made her way to the sick bay.

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Juvia walked up to Erza and stood by her side. The Heaven's Wheel armor had failed her, and she wasn't taking it well. Evergreen was broken and unconscious on the ground, breathing but not moving. Lyon's resolve had disappeared. He was unable to fight, and unable to care. The moral of the remaining wizards was wavering, and Juvia knew that she had to do something. She couldn't let anyone else get hurt. It was time to bring an end to Bone Crusher and the pain he was causing all her friends.

"What do you plan on doing Juvia?" Erza asked, finally looking at her.

The look in Juvia's blue eyes went from sadness to determination. She stood tall and looked Erza in the eyes. She was ready to get serious.

"Juvia is going to drown him." She said confidently.

"Drown him? How are you going to do that?" Freed gasped.

"Juvia will contain him in a sphere of water, and he will begin to suffocate. When you see him go unconscious, you will attack with everything you have." Juvia explained.

"How do you know your water sphere will be strong enough to suffocate him?" Levy asked, her hands shaking.

"Because Juvia will be using her body."

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Natsu's entire body shook as he looked at Ember. Her Dragon Force reminded him so much of when he had faced Acnologia on Tenrou Island that he was actually frightened. Sweat dripped down his face, his muscles twitched. It was hard for him to remember that this girl was his friend, his team mate. She had been like an actual older sister to him, and now he was terrified of her. She looked at him with her blacked out eyes, the blue marks on her skin appearing to glow in the brilliant blue aura that surrounded her.

Wendy, Laxus, and Gajeel couldn't help but shiver in fear as well. They were having flashbacks of Tenrou Island. Of the battle with Acnologia that caused them to be frozen in time for 7 years, the world aging around them but themselves remaining the same. They feared that if Ember attacked with her dragon slayer powers, that the same thing would happen. Even though they knew in the back of their mind that the only reason they were frozen in time was because of their magic uniting and with the help of the guild's founder, Mavis Vermillion. Mavis was not here, they didn't see her, although it wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibility for her to show up. But this was not Tenrou Island, so the magic in the land was not the same.

All of the exceeds cowered. They got close to their friends, shaking and tears in their eyes. They were so small, so defenseless. They didn't know what to do. Pantherlily was prepared to go into battle mode if he had to. In that form he would be the size of a muscular and formidable human, but he wasn't sure he would be strong enough to do much. The appearance of Ember's Dragon Force was making everyone else's fighting spirit leave them. It was as if they had forgotten who the enemy was.

"She hasn't used any dragon slayer magic at all in this fight. How is she all of a sudden in this form?" Sting stammered.

"Laxus…." Gajeel said in a low voice. Rogue and Sting looked to him for explanation. "She shielded Laxus from that attack. Her fear of him being hit by it, the fear of losing him, that must have set off her natural instincts. She lost control."

"Is this a good or bad thing?" Rogue asked.

"I don't know." Gajeel sighed.

Ember walked towards Natsu. He just stared at her, not being able to move. He was beating himself up inside for reacting this way. It was not like him to be scared of another dragon slayer. He was one! He could fight one, and beat them! It was the past that scared him, not really his friend. And he knew he had to snap out of it. Ember grabbed his hands in hers, and a smile appeared on her face. Natsu gasped. In that moment he didn't see Acnologia, he saw Ember, his friend, his family. His body started to relax.

"Don't be scared of me Natsu. It's still me." She said.

"Ember…..I-I'm sorry." Natsu sighed.

"It's okay. But we have to end this. You and me. Are you ready?"

"Absolutely."

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"If you use your body then the attacks will hit you as well!" Jellal shouted at Juvia.

"Yes." Juvia nodded.

"No. No. I won't do it." Levy cried.

"Me neither. That's suicide." Freed sighed.

"You will do it! You all will do it!" Juvia yelled, her face red with anger.

The wizards all looked at her. Sorrow filled their eyes, and fear filled their hearts. They didn't know what would come of this, and the possibility of hitting Juvia with their attacks scared them. They didn't want to deal too much damage to her body, but they wanted to defeat Bone Crusher, and no one else had any ideas. Juvia wasn't going to back down, and they knew this. She was a Fairy Tail wizard, and she would do anything to defend her guild and her friends, even if it meant putting her own life at risk. They admired this, because they all would do the same. They all had before.

"Fine. It's our only option." Erza finally said. She gave off the impression of confidence, but her heart ached for Juvia.

"What if this doesn't work? Then what do we do?" Bickslow asked.

"It will work." Erza stated, the confidence on her face unwavering.

"We believe in your Juvia." Levy said with a smile.

"We are all right here." Freed smiled and nodded.

Juvia looked at all her comrades. At one point in time she had fought against Fairy Tail. She had kidnapped Lucy and battled Gray on the behalf of the dark guild Phantom Lord. But they had all looked beyond her dark past and accepted her. This held true for Jellal too, who at one time thought he was possessed by Zeref and almost killed Natsu and Erza in an epic battle at the Tower of Heaven, but now he stood at Erza's side and fought at hers. Racer also, who had once been a member of the Oracion Seis and planned on taking over the world with dark magic Nirvana. Now he sat with an injured Evergreen's head on his lap, making sure she was alright. And then there were her guild mates, her family. Levy, Freed, Bickslow, and Erza. She could feel the love in their hearts, and the faith they had in her, she smiled at them one last time before turning away from them and walking outside of the barrier.

Bone Crusher laughed. How could any of them be stupid enough to willingly walk into open territory? Where he could easily crush them? He held his hands out towards Juvia and clapped his hands together, but nothing happened. His face contorted in confusion and he took a step back. Juvia stared him down. She would get her revenge for Gray. She would punish this dark wizard for causing him and her other friends such pain. She was determined to make it so he never broke the bone of another living person ever again. She took a step forward.

"Drip drip drop." She said in a monotone voice. It sent chills down everyone's spine.

"How did your bones not break? I don't understand!" Bone Crusher shouted, shaking his fist at her.

"Juvia is water, both in body and soul." Juvia said, showing him exactly what she meant. Her body became water, clear and flowing and powerful.

She launched herself at Bone Crusher, wrapping her body of water around him in a sphere of water. He floated inside of it, blowing bubbles out of his nose. Bubbles rushed out of his mouth, so it was apparent he was yelling, but there was no way to hear what he was saying. The sphere of water was beginning to slowly drown the wizard, and it started to rise into the air as if to make it easier for everyone to attack. Bone Crusher struggled. He might as well have been below the surface of the sea, but no matter how hard he tried to swim to the surface, he couldn't break free.

Erza, Bickslow, Freed, Jellal, and Levy all formed a line along the barriers edge. They watched the sphere rise into the air, and prepared their minds and bodies for attack.

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"So what's the plan?" Natsu asked.

"We are going to Unison Raid, from above. But before we do that, we need to distract the dragon until everyone else can get off this mountain and at a safe distance." Ember said.

"That will take forever!" Natsu shouted.

"No. The exceeds can fly them. They will be far enough away quickly." Ember explained.

"Oh right! Awesome!"

"One problem. I don't think we have enough exceeds."

Ember was right. In order for their attack to work Happy had to stay with Natsu. That left Pantherlily, Carla, Lector and Frosch. Lector and Frosch would carry Sting and Rogue respectively. Carla would carry Wendy. Pantherlily could turn himself into his battle form and carry Gajeel and one other person. Ember turned to Pantherlily.

"Lily, you need to go into your battle formation and carry both Gajeel and Cobra. That is the only way everyone can escape." Ember said to him.

"No problem." Pantherlily nodded, and he transformed. He was now as big as Gajeel, a huge formidable black panther.

"What about Laxus, Ember?" Wendy asked.

"I've got that handled. Nunu will take him with you and then return to me quickly." Ember said.

"Nunu?" Gajeel questioned.

Ember just smiled. She held out her scythe and it burst into Hell Fire. Nunu appeared before everyone, Sting and Rogue gasping in shock. The large hell hound stood there and growled at the dragon. Lector and Frosch trembled at the site of the wolf-like beast, ram horns on top of it's head and black spots blending into it's storm gray fur. Ember instructed Nunu to take Laxus to safety, and the hound snorted as if to acknowledge her request. Large demon wings as black as Ember's eyes sprouted from his back.

"HE HAS WINGS!THAT IS SO FUCKING COOL!" Natsu screamed.

Nunu flew over to Laxus and grabbed him by the waist of his pants with his mouth, carrying him into the air. The exceeds sprouted their wings and grabbed the dragon slayers, following Nunu's lead. The Earth dragon was getting impatient now. It hadn't attacked because of the sudden presence of Ember's Dragon Force. All dragons knew the power of Acnologia, and hers was similar enough to cause the dragon to stay back. But now he was finally realizing it wasn't Acnologia, and he roared into the sky.

Ember and Natsu began distracting the dragon with minor attacks that would just annoy it. Punches, kicks, yells. Happy flew Natsu around the dragons head so that Natsu could pester it more easily. They didn't want to use up their magic power because they would need it for their Unison Raid, but they had to wait for Nunu to return first.

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Erza re-qipped into her Flight Armor. The cheetah tail and ears matched with the cheetah print armor to go along with the speed that came with it. She had a short sword in each of her hands. Jellal crossed his arms above his head gathering power from the shadows around him with his Heavenly Body magic, beginning the casting of the spell Altairis. A black orb formed above his head as it grew from the shadows it gathered, the night sky and all it's stars seeming to appear inside of it. Once Jellal and Erza were prepared to attack, the others were as well. They had to attack all at once.

Erza threw herself at the sphere with incredible speed, dicing at it from all angles with her two swords.

Jellal sent Altairis at the sphere, the black orb hitting with efficiency and the power to cause massive damage.

"Solid script BOMB!" Levy sent a solid script at the orb, the word BOMB exploding on impact.

"Dark Ecriture Death!" Freed flung runes at the sphere, and they landed on Bone Crusher's skin with purple light.

Bickslow sent his babies at the sphere, and they sent off a chain of explosions.

All their attacks hit at once, causing a blinding light to light up the sky and blow them all backwards and onto the ground. They shielded themselves from the immense magic power and waited for the attack to finish. The light died out, debri stopped flying, the wind stopped blowing. The magic power of the attack diminished.

They all looked at each other, making sure everyone was alright. No one was hurt. Racer had shielded Evergreen and Lyon had shielded himself. They looked up into the sky with confusion on their face. This immediately made everyone think the attack didn't work and they jumped up quickly, ready to attack again, but when they looked to the sky they realized that wasn't the problem. The sphere was gone, Bone Crusher laid on the ground next to Cheza and Jesy, totally unmoving. He had been defeated. Their combination of attacks and team work as a whole had worked. But the sphere of water was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Juvia.

"JUVIA?" Erza called out, running out of the barrier in a panic.

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Ember was swooped off the ground by Nunu. He carried her by the hood of her cape with his mouth. She smiled. She had been sick of distracting this dragon, she was getting bored. Surprisingly her Dragon Force was still in effect, even though she had refrained from using any magic power while waiting for Nunu to return. All she could think about was Laxus, and how if she had not reached him in time he would have died. It hadn't occurred to her that she could have been the one that was killed if her emotions didn't send her into Dragon Force. Ember hated losing control, and hated that she could sense her friends fear of her. But it was time for her to embrace who she was, and to use her power to save her guild. The guild that had accepted her and trusted her, even though it was a long road. The guild that was now her family.

Nunu flew Ember to Natsu and she pointed up. Happy started to rise into the sky, carrying Natsu with him. Nunu and Ember rising alongside them.

"We need to do this quickly. Before he can come flying after us." Ember said to Natsu.

"No problem. I'm all fired up!" Natsu smiled, his fist igniting in flames.

When they reached a comfortable height Nunu and Happy stopped flying. They turned Ember and Natsu so they were directed towards the Earth dragon and not away from it. The dragon hadn't noticed where they had gone yet. All the better, it gave them more time.

Natsu started to power himself up. Flames burst around him and hugged his entire body. The fire licked at the sky around them in a brilliant dance of flames. Natsu's power was incredible, and it kept growing. Lightning started to spark around the fire, traveling in and out of it as if it was a thunder cloud. Ember gasped. Laxus had told her about giving Natsu his lightning magic on Tenrou Island, but she had never seen him use it. The mixture of flames and lightning was beautiful, and the power that came along with it skin tingling.

Ember was already in Dragon Force so she didn't have to power up as much as Natsu. The blue aura that encompassed her grew bigger and glowed brighter. Shadowed tendrils licked off of it and began to mix with Natsu's fire. The blue marks on her skin once again looked as if they were glowing, her eyes black and endless.

The magic of the dragon slayers began to mix. Natsu's red flames began to turn blue. Flames mixed with Ember's shadows and swirled around her. They grabbed each other's hand. Lightning spread between them causing goosebumps to erupt on their skin. Each of them took in a deep breath, getting ready to send a dragon slayer roar down at the Earth dragon with everything they had in them. They released their power at the same time.

Their roars flew down at the dragon, and the mountain. A giant pillar of flames, lightning, shadows and blue light. The attack hit with ferocious force. The mountain and everything around it lit up brilliantly. The explosive sound and incredible force of the attack blew out miles in every direction.

The exceeds carrying the other dragon slayers stopped flying and turned around. They all hovered in the sky, the bright light blinding their eyes and the sound hurting their ears. It was almost like Tenrou Island all over again, and this sent chills down Wendy and Gajeel's spines. Laxus and Cobra were still unconscious. Sting and Rogue shook down to their souls. The exceeds were sweating not only from the weight of the people they carried, but also from their anxiety.

The force and sound of the explosion stopped. The light began to fade, and soon it was gone. And along with it, so was half of the mountain.

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Max ran into the guild hall so fast he almost stumbled over when he tried to stop himself. He was out of breath and his sandy blonde hair was drenched in sweat, hanging in front of his eyes. Makarov and Mira stared at him. Cana was passed out at the bar, the huge amount of alcohol she had consumed finally kicking her ass.

"The...the exceeds are back….with the dragon slayers!" Max gasped in between breaths.

Makarov jumped off the bar and Mira ran from behind it. Lucy, Lisanna and Gray jumped up from their table and broke into a run, following Mira and the Master out the door. Everyone else shortly followed them.

The sun was setting, creating ribbons or purple, pink, and orange in the sky. The breeze blew gently, ruffling the hair of the Fairy Tail wizards. Carla and Pantherlily stood next to Wendy, Gajeel, Cobra, and Laxus. All four of the dragon slayers had passed out from exhaustion. The two flying cats breathed heavily from all the energy they had used carrying them. Pantherlily was no longer in his battle form, and was down to his small size again. Lector and Frosch had taken Rogue and Sting to Sabertooth to be treated for their injuries and exhaustion. Lily had brought Cobra to Fairy Tail because he didn't know where else to bring him.

"Hey look! It's Erza and the others!" Warren called out, pointing down the street.

Everyone turned their attention away from the dragon slayers, not even noticing that Happy, Natsu, and Ember were not among them in the chaos.

Jellal and Erza walked ahead of the group, looking forward with serious faces like leaders do. Levy leaned on Bickslow for support, exhaustion all over her face. Racer walked next to Freed, Evergreen still unconscious in Freed's arms. Lyon had gone back to Lamia Scale and was not with them. But neither was Juvia. They stopped walking when they reached the group. Elfman ran to Freed.

"Evergreen?!" Elfman yelled.

"Take her to sick bay, quickly." Freed said to him, handing her to Elfman gently.

Elfman took her body in his arms, tears building up in his eyes. Mira brought her hand to her mouth with a gasp.

"Porlyusica is in sick bay, hurry!" Makarov yelled at Elfman. He nodded and ran back into the building.

Levy saw Gajeel on the ground and stumbled to him. She dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around his sleeping body. Her body shook with sobs but there was a smile on her face. She was just happy that he was alive, and in one piece. Racer went over to Cobra to make sure his guild member was okay.

Gray, Lucy and Lisanna looked around confused. They were the first to notice that anyone was missing. Panic began to set in. Gray ran up to Erza and Jellal, his hands in fists.

"Where is Juvia?" He asked, grinding his teeth.

"We don't know." Jellal said sadly, looking at the ground.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW?" Gray shouted. Everyone looked over at them in silence.

"She is the reason we were able to defeat Bone Crusher. She used her body to make him go unconscious in a sphere of water. We all attacked the sphere at one time. It was effective." Erza explained, she was choking back her own tears.

"WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?" Gray was freaking out. He was determined not to cry.

"It was the only way. It was her decision. And she had been right." Erza choked.

"So what…..she's just gone?" Gray stammered, his heart pounding in his chest.

"When the dust settled Bone Crusher was on the ground. Juvia was nowhere to be seen." Jellal said sadly.

No one said anything. They had no words. No one wanted to say that Juvia was actually gone, but none of them wanted to give false hope and say that she wasn't gone either. Quiet sobs could be heard throughout the crowd. Tears glistened on peoples faces in the light of the setting sun.

"W-where's Natsu?" Lucy whimpered. Tears streamed down her face.

"Holy crap, Natsu isn't here!" Someone gasped from the crowd.

"Neither is Ember!" Another said.

"Or Happy!" and another.

Mira began to cry. Four of her friends were not here. And one of them was in sick bay with countless broken bones. She covered her face in her hands and dropped to her knees. Lisanna ran over to her, kneeling beside her and crying as well.

The dragon slayers started to wake up. Laxus propped himself up and then got into a sitting position on the ground, he wasn't strong enough to stand on his feet yet. Wendy rubbed her eyes and sat up, looking up at her guild members. Romeo ran to her and threw his arms around her. She hugged him tightly. Cobra opened his eyes and Racer helped him balance himself into a sitting position. He had not been awake since he had passed out in the middle of battle. He was confused at first until he realized where he was. Gajeel wrapped his arms around Levy, and they just laid there on the ground.

"Laxus, where is Ember, Natsu, and Happy? And Nunu for that matter?" Makarov asked. Laxus refused to look at him, and he didn't speak.

"Hold on wait a second. Natsu and Ember aren't here?" Cobra questioned, looking around.

"You have been knocked out since we were all still fighting. They…..they let us escape." Wendy whimpered and began to cry.

"What do you mean?" Lisanna asked, tears flowing down her cheeks as she held Mira.

"Ember went into Dragon Force. Her and Natsu were the only two left with enough magic power to fight. Us exceeds carried the other dragon slayers away so that they could perform a Unison Raid against the Earth dragon that they were fighting." Pantherlily explained.

"The attack succeeded. The dragon was blown away, along with half of Mount Florencia." Carla said sadly, looking at Wendy.

"So where are Natsu and Ember?" Gray yelled.

"We don't know. We didn't see them anywhere." Pantherlily sighed.

Makarov's face turned white as paper. His eyes began to water and tears started to fall down his wrinkled cheeks. Three of his children, an exceed, and a hell hound, had not returned home. There was no confirmation on their physical state. No details on if they were alive or dead. The Master turned and walked away from the crowd, disappearing back into the guild hall. No one followed him. No one spoke. The only thing they all shared with each other at that moment was the tears that fell down their faces and the despair that flooded their thoughts.


	14. Chapter 14

Laxus lied in Ember's bed alone with nothing but the silence to keep him company. The room felt too empty with the lack of her presence. His stomach had been in a tight knot ever since him and his other guild members had returned from battle. Juvia had not returned with the other group and was missing along with Ember, Natsu, and Happy. The whereabouts of his friends bothered him, and he couldn't stop thinking about it. His mind raced, his heart showing no signs of slowing down.

He had not left Ember's bed for two days. Two days since they all returned and still no news on his friends. No one wanted to think the worst, but it was as if a giant storm cloud was looming over Fairy Tail, ready to burst at any second. For awhile Laxus had felt numb, not allowing himself to feel anything. It was better that way, and easier. But he could feel his emotions creeping up to the surface, and he was having a harder time pushing them back with every tick of the clock.

Not since he was a child had he felt so weak. Back when he would get sick a lot. His magic power had made him strong for so long, and he relied on this. The strength of his body kept his mind strong. He walked around with a hard shell but a soft center, but his hard shell was usually unbreakable. He could feel it cracking. It was something he couldn't let anyone else see. Not even his grandfather. Not even his closest friends. He had to keep a strong face for his guild.

He looked around the room, his mind going back in time and giving him a quick glimpse of Ember sitting at the breakfast table and smoking one of her secret cigarettes. The mirage disappeared, and the flood gates that held back his emotions broke all at once. He couldn't remember ever feeling sorrow like this. The pain was unbearable. Living so long in Makarov's shadow, and the departure and turn coating of his father had made him feel strong emotions. But this was different.

The tears flowed down his face in a never ending torrent. He let himself cry, and his sobs were loud. His entire body shook with every gasp for breath he took as he started to hyperventilate. Lightning sparked along his skin, setting his hair on end. Letting it all out he could feel his body weakening. His mind weakening. He allowed it. He let himself be weak once again, because this time no one could see it.

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Levy sat on Lucy's bed with her. She had been a wreck for days and all Levy could do was be there and support her. Making sure Lucy ate and cleaned herself was what she had been doing for the past couple of days. She had barely even talked to Gajeel, which was fine. He was still resting from the battle with the Earth dragon, and Levy could sense that alone time would be good for him. She knew that even though him and Natsu clashed a lot of the times, that it bothered him that Natsu had not returned with them. And even if he wasn't always friendly to Ember, she knew that he considered her a close friend and comrade, and there was no way he wasn't upset about her lack of appearance either. But the worst for him had to be Juvia. They had been in Phantom Lord together. It was Juvia who had sent the Master out to recruit Gajeel, to pull him out of the darkness. She was his first friend in Fairy Tail, and probably his closest.

"Lucy, have you eaten yet today?" Levy asked gently.

"I'm not sure." Lucy said quietly.

Lucy appeared to be spaced out, almost catatonic. Her eyes were so red and puffy from crying that she could barely open them, but they looked lifeless. Her shoulders slumped and when she walked around she dragged, as if she was forcing herself to move. When she talked it was apparent that even doing that took effort. It hurt Levy's heart to see her friend like this, but if it had been Gajeel missing instead of Natsu, she knew that Lucy would be there for her in the same way. No matter how ratty her hair was or dirty her clothes might have been. That's what friends were for, they supported each other.

The sadness was getting to Levy too, but she was forcing herself to stay strong. She had to right now. The guild was being weighed down by this looming sadness and uncertainty. There had to be people alert and paying attention. There had to be people there for those who couldn't bring themselves to even get up out of bed. Eventually she would break down, but right now was not the time for it.

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Evergreen opened her eyes. She could feel pressure on the side of the bed and looked down to see Elfman, his head down and her hand in his. He was sleeping, softly snoring. She wondered how long he had been there, and if he ever left. Every time she opened her eyes he was there, sleeping. She didn't wake up often, she was still so weak from her injuries, but at least she could talk.

She had woken up for the first time a day ago, and that's when she found out everything that had happened after her legs and arms were broken and she was down for the count. The story about how Juvia used her body to begin drowning Bone Crusher as everyone attacked at once shocked and amazed her. She had a newfound respect for Juvia, and was actually upset to find out that Juvia had been missing since the attack. Evergreen was never a huge fan of her, but they were Fairy Tail family, and therefore friends and comrades. When it came down to it, yes, Evergreen was sad that she hadn't returned.

The story of how Natsu and Ember defeated the dragon that her other guild mates had gone off to fight had also amazed her. She thought back to Tenrou Island and Acnologia. The incredible power the dragon had possessed. She pictured a fraction of this power in Ember, one of her best friends, and it gave her chills. But what really bothered her, what really made her shake, was the fact that Ember wasn't here. And neither were Natsu and Happy. For the most part Natsu and Happy annoyed her, but she had a lot of respect for them, and she did care about them. When Natsu's spine was snapped in his second battle with Jesy and Cheza it had made her stomach turn. Now that he was gone, she didn't know exactly how she felt.

But Ember's disappearance broke her heart. She had bonded with her the first day she joined Fairy Tail, and that was rare. Evergreen wasn't friendly with many people. Her and the Thunder Legion had welcomed her with open arms. They had all become quick friends. It felt like her heart physically hurt. All she could do was cry when she thought about it. And even worse, she couldn't even begin to imagine how Laxus was feeling. She kept him in her heart, and hoped only the best for her dear friend.

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Cana and Freed sat at the bar in silence, drinking alcohol out of mugs. Mira would come to their end of the bar periodically and ask them if everything was okay. They would nod and just sip their drinks. The both of them had shut their minds off. They went numb. They couldn't sit there and think about their missing friends, or how Laxus must feel, or how Lucy was doing. They refused to acknowledge their guild mates and just drank alcohol all day until they would pass out of drunkenness, only to wake up and repeat the process.

Gray and Lisanna sat at a table together, just the two of them. Being alone didn't work for them, so they just stayed in each others company until it was time for them to go home and sleep. Maybe they would eat that day, maybe they wouldn't. Their thoughts only focused on their missing friends. Nothing else.

The air in the guild hall was toxic. It had been days of no smiles, no conversations. The liquor flowed, but not much food was plated. Most of the wizards avoided the guild hall, not even going out on jobs. Others spent all their time out on jobs, if only to get their minds off of everything. No single person dealt with the scenario in the same way. Some let their anger take over, other's cried until their eyes went dry.

"Have either of you gone to see Evergreen today?" Mira asked Freed and Cana. She had to try and get them to come out of their own prisons.

"She was sleeping when I went. But Elfman is still there." Freed said in a flat voice.

"Same." Cana said. They both lifted their mugs to their lips and drank.

"Will you guys eat something?" Mira tried.

"Not hungry." They both said at the same time.

"Ok. Where's Bickslow and Laxus?" Mira asked.

"Bickslow is out working." Freed said.

"Laxus has been in Ember's room. Hasn't left." Cana followed.

Mira was beginning to get angry. She was sad too, but she was still living. She still came to the guild hall and made sure her friends had food and drinks if they wanted them. She still made sure to put a smile on her face, no matter how hard it hurt. The guild wide pity party was getting under her skin. Everyone was feeling pain and sorrow. Everyone wanted their friends to come home. But that wasn't a reason to shut yourself off. It was damaging, she had learned this when she first lost Lisanna, and for a long time she didn't even have the strength to fight. But Lisanna came back, and with it so did Mira's strength and courage. But she couldn't get back the time she had wasted lost in her own sorrow. And she couldn't stand by and watch all her friends do the same to themselves.

"THAT'S IT!" Mira shouted, slamming her fists on the bar.

Her sudden outburst sent a ripple through the guild hall. Her power flowed around her in a purple aura. Everyone turned to her, finally lifting their heads. Something twinkled in their eyes, whether it be curiosity or fear of Satan Soul. But at least it was something. Mira looked at them all, tears in her eyes, pain on her face.

"I have had enough of this. You are all shutting yourselves off. I get it. You know I do. But we cannot go on like this. It has been days. Laxus and Lucy have not shown their faces. Erza left with Jellal and has yet to return. The Master is rarely seen. All of you are wasting away in a cloud of darkness. It's pitiful. Is this how our friends would want to see us? Is this how they would want Fairy Tail to go on living?" Mira shouted. The amount of emotion in her voice affected everyone.

"Mira is right. Stop looking so pitiful." Evergreen said as she came down the stairs, Elfman supporting her.

"Evergreen!" Freed gasped. He had finally snapped out of his trance.

Cana threw her mug down and ran to her friend, throwing her arms around her neck. Evergreen hugged her back. Cana helped Elfman with getting Evergreen the rest of the way down the stairs. They walked her over to were Freed was and lifted her onto a stool. Cana returned to her seat and Elfman sat down next to Evergreen.

"You're all pathetic." Evergreen scoffed.

"How can you….be so heartless?" Lisanna whimpered.

"I'm not being heartless. But I'm not being weak either. All of us are hurting. But this isn't the way we should be handling it." Evergreen said confidently. Mira handed her a glass of water. "No, I want alcohol."

Mira laughed and replaced the glass of water with a mug of ale. Evergreen gulped it down and smiled. Her attitude was beginning to rub off on everyone, spreading like a tidal wave. The guild members started talking again. Even if it wasn't as lively as usual, it was decent progress for such a short amount of time. It seemed to Mira that all they needed was a little push back onto their feet. A little help from a friend.

"Do you think we should maybe go look for them? I don't know if anyone suggested that yet or not." Gray said, walking over to the bar, his hands in his pockets. Lisanna followed close behind him.

"Chances are they would have moved, or been moved from wherever they originally were. Looking for them could be a waste of time." Freed said.

"But at least we are doing something, right?" Lisanna asked.

"They will come back. They know their way home." Evergreen smiled.

"I agree." Cana said, finally allowing herself to really smile.

Mira was happy. Confidence was seeping back into the cracks that the despair had caused. Although none of them would ever be whole again if their friends didn't come back, at least they could live on. They could find their strength again, and move on to a brighter future. That was all Mira wanted. She just wanted to know that it was possible for the guild to smile again.

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Erza and Jellal walked through the forest taking in it's beauty. The way the leaves glittered in the sunlight. The way small animals frolicked and collected food to bring back to their nests. The breeze tickled their skin and blew their hair in their face. They were dressed casually, in black tank tops and exercise shorts. Armor or formal clothing were not needed, and they had to find a balance of normalcy after everything that had happened.

Jellal had been Erza's crutch for the past couple of days. He had supported her when she got angry, held her as she cried. He let her go through the levels of her emotions without batting an eye. She had finally gotten it all out and could now finally relax. Her friends were still on her mind, and in her heart, but Erza knew how to deal with loss. She knew that within time she would be okay. The loss of Natsu hurt her the most. He had been one of her closest friends since childhood. He had been one of the people that helped her feel again. She owed a lot of her inner strength to him. In her heart she hoped he was out there somewhere and that he would find his way home.

"I haven't seen Cobra in a while. Is he doing alright?" Erza asked.

"He's been out searching for Ember, Natsu, and Happy." Jellal answered.

"All this time? Why is he putting himself through that?" Erza gasped.

Jellal stopped walking. Erza turned around and went to him, standing close. He looked down at her, his eyes filled with light and hope. She felt her heart flutter, and then the same hope spread through her veins.

"He believes they are alive. And I have faith in him." Jellal smiled.

He wrapped his arms around Erza, knowing that hope is what she needed this entire time. Not to let it go. Not to cry and then get past what happened. She had to have faith in her friends, and hope that they would return. She hugged him tightly and buried her face in his chest. He kissed her scarlet hair.

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It had been days and there had been no sign of them. He had been searching under every rock, up in every tree. He searched the town at the base of Mount Florencia, or what was left of the mountain at least. He had searched for miles.

Cobra was beginning to get tired. If he slept he only slept for maybe an hour. The heat of the sun was starting to get to him, and he had already stripped off his coat and left it behind. He didn't have the strength to carry any extra weight with him. Barely sleeping and constantly searching for days took a lot out of a man. Even a strong one. His skin was tanned from the sun and covered in dirt from his searching. He had scratches on his hands and arms from climbing trees. His impatience was getting even more severe than his tiredness. But he wasn't going to give up. Not when he still had miles to cover.

The blast from Natsu and Ember's unison raid could have blown them miles in any direction. Depending on where they landed would account for the injuries they would have. But Cobra knew they were alive. He had not even a speck of doubt in his mind. He had seen Natsu's strength, and there was no way an attack's force would end him. Maybe blow him away and knock him out, but it surely was not enough to kill the Salamander. And Ember was created at the hands of Zeref. She was birthed from the ashes of an Elm tree for the sheer purpose of defeating their father if the time ever came. There was no way her own attack, even if she was in Dragon Force, would have killed her. Cobra knew this, and he refused to believe he was wrong. He was a child of Zeref, and he knew how hard it was to die.

He had been using his super hearing ability to listen to his surroundings. He had the ability to hear a persons soul. Unfortunately if Natsu and Ember were unconscious, he wouldn't be able to hear them. This was his biggest road block. He knew that if they were awake then he surely would have located them by now. He had started his search at the top of what was left of the mountain, and had made his way around the perimeter, going out farther each go around. He was now a decent distance from the mountain itself, although he could still see it.

He walked through the forest in silence. His eyes closed, all his energy focused on his ears. He could hear the trees dancing in the wind, the leaves fluttering. Songs from all different types of birds, their babies chirping for food. The breaking of twigs, the pitter patter of tiny animal feet. He heard no thoughts, no dreams, no voices. The caw of a crow by day, and the hoot of an owl by night.

A low mournful howl reached his ears. It came from far away, but he was not fool enough to mistake it for a wolf. His eyes snapped opened and he broke into a run. There was only one creature that howled like that. And they didn't make a habit of roaming around in the forest.

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Levy looked out the window. The sun had been out and shining high in the sky, but now it was hidden behind rain clouds. The rain came down in heavy torrents, and the trees bowed to the sky in the wind. She reached over and shut the window by Lucy's bed, not wanting the rain to get in. Lucy watched the raindrops hit the glass, splattering and then racing to the bottom of the window sill and forming a small pool. People on the street rain for the cover of shops or their houses, trying to escape the tempest before they got drenched. Children laughed and jumped in puddles with their friends. Sometimes there was nothing more refreshing than a summer rain. But today it just made Levy and Lucy feel more gloomy.

"Rain. The last thing we needed." Levy said with a laugh.

"It's more fitting...than the sun." Lucy said in a flat voice.

"Lucy, you can't let this kill you. You are still alive, you need to live. Natsu would not want to see you like this." Levy said, grabbing Lucy's hands.

Lucy turned to look at her friend. Her eyes were no longer blank, but they were sad. Very deeply sad. Levy's stomach tightened as she watched Lucy's eyes turn to glass, and the tears started flowing again. She squeezed Levy's hands and bit her lip.

"But...it is killing me, Levy." She whimpered.

"No, it just feels like it is. You have to be the strong girl I know you are."

"Maybe I'm not as strong as you think I am."

"No, you're stronger. You need to stop thinking so low of yourself."

"I can't be strong right now. Not without Natsu. I just can't."

Lucy crumbled into Levy's arms, her body shivering. Levy held her and rubbed her back with one of her hands. No, it wasn't easy to be strong when someone you loved was gone. Even if they were not entirely gone. Levy had experienced that when Gajeel came back from the Bone Crusher fight battered and broken. When she wasn't sure if he would wake up the same person he had been when he left Fairy Tail. Levy knew she was being a hypocrite by trying to force Lucy to push her feelings aside and bring her strength forward. She knew it wasn't that easy, she just couldn't stand seeing her friend in so much pain. She wanted Lucy to be the Lucy she knew. The girl who wrote down her adventures and wanted to publish a novel. The girl who always stood up for her friends no matter the cost. Her tears had always been her strength, but right now they only weakened her. They were turning her into a shell of the girl she used to be.

There was a knock on the door and it made both of the girls jump. They didn't move, neither of them making an effort to get up and answer it. For a second they thought maybe they had been hearing things, or that maybe it was a clap of thunder to go along with the deluge of rain outside. But then the knock came again. Levy looked at Lucy and stood up off the bed going towards the door. Lucy wiped her eyes quickly and turned her face to look out the window. She focused on the falling rain and the patterns of the drops on the windows. It was hard to make out any details of the outside world.

Levy unlocked and opened the door. Standing there was Lisanna and Gray. Both of them looked as if they were in better moods. They even smiled. Levy invited them in and shut the door behind them. They took a seat, both of them looking at Lucy.

"How are you doing Lucy?" Gray asked. Lucy turned at the sound of his voice. It brought her a familiar comfort.

"G-Gray. I…."She couldn't finish what she was going to say.

Her attention went to Lisanna. Lucy noticed how clean and well kept she looked. Her white hair brushed and her sweater and shorts clean and unwrinkled. She even had a smile on her face. Lucy didn't know why but this angered her. She was finally feeling another emotion besides sorrow, but she didn't think anger was a good trade off. She just couldn't understand why Lisanna, who had been so broken up about Natsu leaving, could be sitting there with a smile on her face when Natsu still hadn't returned.

"Lisanna….How are you….smiling?" Lucy stammered.

"Lucy?" Levy whispered.

"MiraJane made a good point at the guild hall earlier. And so did Evergreen. Natsu and the others wouldn't want to see us like this. They would want to see us continue on with our lives." Gray explained,

"I didn't ask you Gray." Lucy said through clenched teeth. Gray looked at her confused. Levy started to silently panic.

"Because of what Gray just said." Lisanna nodded.

"I thought….you loved him." Lucy cried.

"Wha?" Lisanna gasped. She straightened up in her chair, grabbing the arm rests.

"Natsu….I thought….you loved him." Lucy's anger was building in the room.

"I do love Natsu. I've always loved Natsu." Lisanna said in a calm voice.

"No. No. If you loved him that much, if you loved him as I do. You would not be able to smile right now." Lucy growled.

"How do you even know that? You don't know my feelings?" Lisanna gasped, starting to get defensive.

Lucy's eyes lit up with anger towards Lisanna. Levy tried to grab her hand to calm her down, but Lucy smacked it away. Gray stood up and grabbed Lisanna by the arm, dragging her to the door.

"I hope you feel better Lucy. We will leave now." Gray said, pushing Lisanna out the door before she could say anything else, and slamming it closed behind him.

Levy looked at Lucy in shock. It was rare that Lucy ever acted out in anger. She was always so sweet to everyone. It took a lot to piss her off. But the simple act of Lisanna smiling had set her off. She wondered why this was. Why did Lucy get so angry at Lisanna? Why was she accusing her of not loving Natsu? Levy knew she must be missing something. Whether it be a minor detail, or a major one. But she didn't think that this was the right time to ask about it. So she just looked out the window at the never ending rain.

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"Geez that rain is coming down hard!" Gray said as him and Lisanna stumbled back into the guild hall.

The two of them were soaking wet from head to toe. Their clothes hung off them like saggy bags. Gray solved part of his problem by stripping down to his boxers. Lisanna let out a shocked cry and covered her eyes. Macao yelled at him from across the room and then started laughing along with Wakaba, the two older men telling jokes at Gray's expense.

"Oh Gray, Lisanna, would you like something dry to wear?" Mira laughed.

"Please." Lisanna said shyly.

Mira disappeared for a little while and then returned with a stack of dry clothes and towels. The clothes were from the Fairy Tail gift shop back when it had been opened, so it was only t-shirts and exercise shorts, but it was better than nothing. At least they had the proper sizes. Gray and Lisanna dried themselves off with the towels and then ran off to get changed. When they came back they were dry and already starting to warm back up. Even though it was summer, the rain was surprisingly cold.

"Where are you guys coming from anyways?" Cana asked. Gray and Lisanna took a seat at the bar.

"We went by Lucy's to see how she was doing." Gray answered.

"Ooooh how is she?" Mira chirped.

"Not good. She totally snapped at Lisanna. But Levy is with her." Gray said as Mira handed him a glass of ice water.

"Oh good Levy is with her. At least she isn't alone." Mira smiled.

"Wait…."Freed started but Cana interrupted.

"Why did she snap at Lisanna?" Cana leaned close to Gray, wanting to hear something juicy.

"She asked me why I was smiling. And….she said that there was no way I loved Natsu if I was smiling right now." Lisanna sighed.

"That's not true! We all love each other, but that doesn't mean we can't go on living our lives!" Mira said in shock.

"I don't think that's the kind of love she meant Mira." Gray said.

"Nope." Cana smirked.

"Oh! I see. Well….uhmmm…" Mira was beginning to get awkward with the conversation. Lisanna was her little sister after all.

"I don't want to talk about it." Lisanna said sternly, and they dropped the topic.

The doors to the guild hall swung opened and there was a thump and gasps from behind them. They all turned around and the shock of what they saw on the floor knocked the wind out of them. None of them moved a muscle.

Laying on the floor in a puddle, and so drenched in water they looked as if they were melting, was Juvia.

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Cobra ran as fast as he could towards the howling. He was getting close. He could smell the musk and sulfur that the wind carried off of the beasts fur. He grinded his teeth and pushed himself to run faster. He leaped over rocks, dipped under branches, dodged fallen trees. The beast was in his view and he skidded to a stop, quickly catching his breath.

Nunu sat in a clearing in the woods. He sat on his large haunches, his snout pointed at the air, singing his hell hound song of sorrow. But that's not all it was, he had been calling for help. And Cobra had heard his cry. The hell hound sensed his presence and stopped howling, turning to Cobra with a growl. When he realized who it was the growl in his throat went from threatening to a soft whimper. He wagged his enormous tail and ran at Cobra, jumped on him and licked his face. The creature started running in excited circles, looking up at Cobra every go-around.

"Nunu, what is it? Stop acting like a flake!" Cobra said getting impatient.

Nunu stopped running around. He looked at Cobra with his gold eyes. They lit up in a quick spark of anger and then went back to normal. Cobra laughed, he had forgotten that hell hounds could understand you when you spoke to them, and he had just insulted the poor beast. He patted him on the head and apologized. Nunu wagged his tail again and ran over to a large bush. He stuck the top half of his body into the leaves, shaking it so hard that twigs started to break. He backed out of the bush and with his mouth dragged Happy across the ground. Cobra ran to Happy and picked up the tiny cat, making sure he was alive.

Yes, Happy was alive. Cobra hugged Happy's limp little body to his chest to try and warm him up. He rubbed his fur with his hands and massaged his little chest, hoping that maybe he would wake up. He was about to give up and then Happy's eyes shot opened. He saw Cobra's face and he screamed, rolling out of Cobra's arms and trying to run. Nunu put his paw on the cats tail. Happy was still trying to run, but he wasn't getting anywhere.

"Calm down Happy, I'm not here to hurt you. Freak." Cobra laughed.

Happy started panting and slowly stopped trying to run. He plopped onto his butt and turned to look at Cobra. Instant realization formed over his face like a dark shadow. Cobra got down onto one knee so he was closer to the cat.

"What is it Happy?" He asked.

"W-Wheres….Natsu?" Happy asked sadly. Little tears began to form in his eyes, his little lips quivering.

Nunu let out a booming bark. Happy almost jumped out of his skin. Cobra looked to the hell hound, waiting for him to do something. Nunu obviously knew more than any of them did. Cobra stood up and Nunu ran at full speed out of the clearing and through the shrubs and trees. Cobra struggled to follow him. He almost tripped over a tree root but caught himself. He could hear Happy behind him, struggling to keep up. He turned around and snatched up the exceed, and ran with him in his arms. Nunu finally stopped by a large tree. He looked up and let out a low howl. Cobra and Happy looked up into the branches, and there was Natsu. He was folded over a branch, his head and arms hanging off one side and his legs hanging off the other. Cobra winced knowing how much that landing must have hurt. He figured that the landing is probably what knocked Natsu out. He didn't have to check if he was breathing because he could hear Natsu groaning.

"Nunu, can you give me a lift up there so I can grab him without hurting him?" Cobra asked.

Nunu sprouted his demon wings and picked up Cobra by the back of his shirt. Cobra started to panic as they lifted off the ground because his shirt was starting to come up over his head. He didn't want to fall out of it and then to the ground. When they got to the branch Cobra took Natsu gently in his arms like a small child, and Nunu brought them back to the ground. As soon as Natsu was safely laid down Happy rushed to him and nuzzled his friend, happy tears falling down his furry blue cheeks.

"Natsssuuuuu…." The cat cheered.

"H-Happy?" Natsu struggled to speak, but he got it out. He started to cough and then shot up in pain, holding his abdomen.

"WHAT IS THIS PAIN IN MY BELLY?" Natsu shouted.

"Hmm just as I thought. You landed on that tree branch with your stomach. You're going to need some medical treatment." Cobra said with a chuckle.

"OOOO IT HURTS SO BAD!" Natsu shouted at the sky.

"Quit your fucking whining you brat." Cobra sneered at him. He was glad to have found Natsu alive, but that didn't mean he was his biggest fan. He found the pink haired kid to be completely intolerable and annoying.

Nunu started whining and nudging Cobra's hand. He started petting the beasts head in between his horns but Nunu just nudged his hand away still whining. Then it clicked. How could Cobra let that slip his mind? They hadn't found Ember yet!

"Where's my sister you over sized mutt?" Cobra asked Nunu. Nunu sneezed at him and then turned around.

Cobra followed him about ten feet away to a big rock. Nunu stood there and wagged his tail looking at Cobra, and then he walked around to the other side. Cobra followed him.

Ember was leaning against the rock, her head bowed down to her chest. Her hair covered her face, and her arms hung limp at her sides. Both of her legs were spread out in front of her. Cobra leaned over her and lifted her head up, moving the hair out of her face. He put a finger under her nose and felt air coming from her nostrils, confirming that she was alive. He already hated himself for what he was about to do, but he did it anyways. With his large hand he smacked Ember across the face with all his strength. Her eyes snapped opened and he felt her fist punch into his gut. He lurched as if he was going to vomit.

"Cobra?" Ember gasped.

"Ember….fuck. Everyone thinks you guys are dead." Cobra said, rubbing his stomach where she hit him.

"Where's Natsu? And Happy? And Nunu?" Ember started getting frantic.

Nunu jumped on her and licked her face. She started to laugh but moaned in pain at the same time. She hugged the hell hound quickly and then gently pushed him off of her. Cobra reached out his hand for her to grab, and she took it. He helped her to her feet. Just like Natsu she was covered in bruises and scratches. She walked with a limp and held her abdomen in pain.

"Natsu and Happy are over there. Natsu is injured, so he needs medical attention. It seems you do to." Cobra said, putting his arm around her shoulders to help her walk.

"Yeah, it's these damn ribs." Ember laughed.

"Ember, you guys did it. You defeated the Earth dragon. You also….attained Dragon Force."

"I know."

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Gray was the first to run to Juvia. He dropped to the floor and took her into his arms. He looked down at her pale face and got the wet hair out of her eyes. She looked up at him, her eyes as vast and blue as the ocean. She struggled to smile. The rest of the present guild members gathered around.

"Juvia….You're alive!" Mira cheered.

"Juvia defeated Bone Crusher for her friends. For Gray." Juvia said in a low whisper.

"I thought...that you were gone." Gray stammered.

"Juvia's body was, is, water. It blew into tons of tiny water molecules. Juvia put herself back together again." She smiled.

"That's incredible!" Freed gasped.

"Hell yeah! Juvia's awesome!' Cana hooted.

Elfman came over and held his arms out for Gray to pass Juvia to him. He would carry her to Porlyusica in sick bay so that she could be healed and rest. Gray looked at her and smiled, she closed her eyes. He passed her to Elfman.

"Be careful with her Elf." Lisanna smiled.

"Of course, I'm a man!" Elfman chanted. Evergreen giggled.

"Someone should go tell the Master." Macao suggested.

"No need. I'm already here." Makarov said from behind them.

They all turned around to look at their Master. He lowered the hood of his rain coat off of his head, balancing his weight on his walking stick. He walked over to the bar and got on top of if, throwing his wet coat behind it. Mira huffed and went to go pick it up, and then handed the Master a drink. He took it with a smile and started to gulp it down. Everyone was waiting for him to say something.

"How did you know to come?' Gray asked.

"The sudden appearance of a downpour. I knew it had to be Juvia." The Master smirked.

"Why didn't any of us make that connection?" Freed wondered.

"Because we were so goddamn busy pitying ourselves that's why." Cana sighed.

"That's right." Makarov laughed.

"I'm so glad she made it home safely. Such good news!" Mira chirped, not able to contain her smile.

"Mmm. Hopefully the others show up soon. I have faith they are still out there. I hope all of you do too." Makarov said, looking at his children.

They all nodded at him. They did have faith that their other friends were still out there. They were prepared to wait for them, no matter how long it took. If Fairy Tail could wait seven years for the return of the wizards that had been on Tenrou Island, they could wait however long this time. A new hope was alight in Fairy Tail. And it sent warmth to the hearts of everyone around.

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Erza and Jellal returned from their walk to Cobra being back, and not alone. Natsu, Ember, and Happy were laid out on the ground with blankets. Meridy and Angel treating their wounds. Erza ran to Natu's side and hugged him. She cried tears of joy. She did not expect to come back from a peaceful stroll with Jellal to the sudden appearance of three of her missing friends. She was filled with so much happiness she felt like the was going to explode.

Meridy and Angel smiled up at Jellal. He smiled back at them warmly. All he ever wanted was to see Erza happy, after all the pain he had caused her in the past. He was glad that his guild could help bring her friends back to her alive. He was proud of Fairy Tail, and proud of Crime Sorciere. They had fought alongside each other till the end. And supported each other beyond the battle.

"Oh Natsu. Don't ever disappear like that again!" Erza cried.

"Don't cry Erza, you know I hate it when you cry." Natsu smiled.

"Aye!" Happy chirped.

Erza picked up the tiny cat and hugged him to her chest. His eyes bulged out of his head as she squeezed him. Meridy and Angel gasped and grabbed for the cat. They didn't know the extent of his injuries and didn't want to risk him getting hurt more. Erza let Meridy take Happy and put him back into his blankets. Happy purred happily with the attention he was receiving from the girls. Erza looked at Ember and she stood up.

She walked over to the other dragon slayer and sat down on the ground next to her. Their eyes met, and Erza smiled. She grabbed Ember's hand.

"You did something you didn't want to do. And because of that, you saved everyone. Be proud of yourself." Erza said to her.

"I also scared the crap out of everyone." Ember laughed nervously.

"Fear isn't an enemy. It's a natural emotion. Don't guilt yourself for it. But you need to stop holding yourself back. Stop beating yourself up."

"I….I just don't want to hurt anyone."

"You won't Ember. You're a Fairy Tail wizard. You don't hurt your friends, you protect them."

Ember wiped tears from her eyes and smiled at Erza. This girl was good at pep talks. She really knew how to make you feel wanted and trusted, part of the family. Erza leaned down and hugged her. Cobra walked up to the group and got down on the ground by Ember's head. He leaned over so that she could see him leaning over her. She started to laugh.

"What are you doing Erik?" She giggled.

"Making sure you are still the same Ember." He said. He poked her face and pinched her cheeks.

"Stop it! I'm still the same! Enough!" She laughed, smacking his hands away.

"I meant to say this awhile ago. But I'm sorry for being such a jerk when we first saw each other again. I didn't know the truth." Cobra said sheepishly.

Ember looked to Erza and a sly smile appeared on the redheads face. Ember knew now that Erza had taken it upon herself to share the story Ember told the guild with Cobra, so that he could know the truth about her and actually be a brother. She was thankful for this, from the bottom of her heart. She had a family in Fairy Tail, but getting her brother back was something she had always wanted as well. Fairy Tail had given her everything she had ever wanted. She smiled at Erza and Cobra, and then she slipped off into sleep.


	15. Chapter 15-The final chapter

Juvia opened her eyes. She was dry. She was no longer out in the rain. In fact, the morning sun was shining in the window and warming her skin. She looked around and realized that she was back at Fairy Tail, in sick bay. Porlyusica was the only presence in the room with her. This made her sad. Seeing Gray's face when she woke up would have meant everything to her. The last thing she even remembered was enclosing Bone Crusher in a sphere of water using her body, and being hit with all her comrades attacks at once. She remembered the pain she felt, but also the feeling of victory that made her heart sing. Now she was laying in a warm bed being tended to, and she was home.

"Juvia, you are awake. Good." Porlyusica said. She walked over to the bed and wiped Juvia's forehead with a warm washcloth.

"How long has Juvia been sleeping?" the blue eyed girl asked.

"Oh not long. You stumbled into the guild hall in the middle of a rain storm yesterday. You have been sleeping ever since."

"Juvia doesn't remember anything, since the battle."

"Maybe that is for the best. I am sure everyone will be glad to hear you have awoken."

Juvia felt really tired. Her body felt weak and numb all over. All she wanted to do was sleep, but she wanted badly to see her friends. As if he had sensed that she had opened her eyes, Gray walked into the room. He greeted Porlyusica and sat at the edge of Juvia's bed. He looked down at her, into her eyes, and grabbed her hand. His hand felt both cold and warm. Just like her heart.

"Juvia….how are you feeling?" Gray asked.

"Better. But Juvia doesn't remember much." She said shyly.

"All that matters is that you came back to us. We were all so worried. You were gone for days."

"Days?"

"Yeah."

"How is everyone else?"

"Well, Evergreen is on her feet again. She hasn't changed."

Juvia laughed. She had been so worried about Evergreen after all the bones in her legs and arms had been broken. It all had happened so fast. She also wondered how Lyon was doing with his wrists. She didn't ask Gray because she figured he wouldn't know, but she was pretty sure that Lyon was doing just fine. Just like Gray, he was a strong Ice-make wizard. One injury would not bring him down.

"But there's some bad news." Gray said, his face growing sorrowful.

"W-What?" Juvia asked, her heart stopped in her chest.

"Natsu, Ember and Happy have yet to come back. They have been missing since the dragon slayers battled an Earth dragon. They defeated it while the rest got to safety. But they were nowhere to be found and still have yet to be seen."

Juvia gasped. Gray turned his eyes from her. She knew this was because he didn't want her to see the pain that was in them. For once Juvia didn't feel jealous that Gray was concerned for the well being of another girl. She didn't think about love rivals. All she could think was that her friends were out there somewhere, and they were either really injured or possibly dead. This pained her to think about. And again all she wanted to do was sleep.

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Lucy woke up and could barely open her eyes. They were pretty much crusted shut from all the crying she had done before she finally fell asleep. She rubbed at them violently with her knuckles, but they still remained hard to open. She let out a stressed sigh and rolled over in her bed. Levy was asleep next to her, softly snoring, her blue hair a mess ontop of her head. Lucy smirked. She didn't even realize it, but it had been the first time she had smiled in days. The fact that she had such a caring friend that had been by her side during such a hard time in her life, it meant a lot to Lucy.

"Levy?" Lucy whispered, poking Levy in the face until she woke up.

Levy's eyes snapped open and she twitched with a startle. She looked at her friend and happiness rushed through her. Lucy looked a mess, with her knotted blonde hair and puffy eyes, but she was smiling. Lucy was finally smiling. Levy sat up in bed with a giant smile on her face and tackled Lucy in a hug. The girls giggled.

"Lucy! I am so excited to see you smile!" Levy chirped.

"Yeah, I woke up this morning feeling...different." Lucy said, and let out a sigh.

"What do you mean?" Levy asked, scooting closer to Lucy. They both looked out the window at the bright and warm summer day.

"I don't know. I just woke up knowing that Natsu was coming home. I just know he is." Lucy smiled, still looking out into the day.

Levy's heart sank. She didn't want to spoil Lucy's mood, but she wondered if her mind had cracked. Had she not realized how many days it had been since the dragon slayers arrived home from their battle without Natsu? Levy decided it wasn't a good idea to press the issue. She would grant Lucy her enlightenment. She would let her friend smile, even if it was only for a short period of time.

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The sun may have been shining, but Laxus was sitting in the dark. His eyes were heavy with sleep because he had barely slept in days. Weakness, nothing but weakness consumed him. And he hated himself for it. He swore to himself he would never be weak again, but it was as if his mind and body had turned their back on him. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't climb out of this dark pit of sadness. And he hated it down to the very bones in his body. When the tears came, and they came in waves, he hated himself even more. Pitied himself. He was strong. He was a Fairy Tail wizard. And here he was acting like a punk.

There had been knocks on the door periodically. His friends coming to check up on him. But he always ignored them, or yelled at them to go away. The never tried to press his buttons and they always left. Evergreen, Bickslow, and Freed came by frequently, but he never let them in, even though they were his closest friends. He knew they would understand, maybe not right away, but at some point they would. At least he hoped so. One time Master Makarov had come by and almost burst the door down. Laxus was pretty sure that the sound of his sobs was what initially made his grandfather back off and leave him alone. And also caused him not to return since.

Laxus looked out the window by the bed and out into the day. The day was endless and full of promise and possibilities. But to him it was full of nothing but shadows.

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"Mira. Can I ask your advice?" Lisanna sighed.

Lisanna was sitting next to Cana at the bar in the guild hall, Mira in her usual position behind it. Ready to serve drinks and food to whoever wanted them.

"Of course Lisanna. What is it!" Mira chirped.

"Well…." Lisanna shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

"Come on kid, just come out with it." Cana groaned.

"Remember how Lucy snapped at me? Saying that I don't love Natsu the way she does if I was able to so easily smile?" Lisanna said.

"Yes. But I told you, that doesn't mean anything. Everyone handles their sorrow differently." Mira nodded.

"No. I think she's right."

Cana and Mira turned to look at Lisanna with shocked looks on their faces. Lisanna blushed and hung her head with a sigh. She had been doing nothing but thinking about what Lucy had said to her since it happened. She also couldn't help thinking about if Lucy was right or not. And she was honestly starting to believe that she may very well have been.

"Explain!" Cana exclaimed, leaning closer to Lisanna.

"Well, I thought I loved Natsu like I could marry him. We were so close as kids. I mean, back then I did want to marry him! Even when I first came back from Edolas, seeing Natsu again was like I had never been gone. But now, I think I tricked myself into thinking I loved him in a way that faded a long time ago. But I am scared that he may feel that way about me." Lisanna sighed.

"Whoooa hoh hoh! Why do you think he may feel that way for you? I mean, Natsu is not the romantic type." Cana smirked.

"The way he kissed me before he left. It was really something. But, I don't think it's right." Lisanna blushed.

"He kissed you?" Mira and Cana gasped.

"Yeah. But anyways…..maybe Lucy is right." Lisanna giggled.

Mira and Cana just looked at the younger white haired girl. They couldn't get over the fact that Natsu, the dense and immature fire breather, had kissed her. Actually put his lips on hers in a romantic way. They were baffled, and shocked. For a second they had forgotten that Natsu hadn't been around for days, and then it hit them, and their shock turned into a deep sadness. The guild hall just wasn't the same without Natsu and Gray causing a ruckus.

"Heyyyyy Lisanna, you still owe me that date!" A gravely voice said from behind them.

The three girls turned around and saw Bickslow walking over to them. He lifted his helmet off his head to reveal what could possibly be a handsome face. But the giant black X that went through the middle of it, and his crazy black hair took away from the handsomeness that resided there. Cana and Mira's jaw dropped. They had forgotten about the dating game! And they had forgotten that Lisanna had to go on a date with Bickslow!

Lisanna turned around on her stool and looked shyly at Bickslow. She actually smiled. He stopped in front of her and smiled back. Mira almost choked when she saw that Lisanna actually blushed!

"Do you want to go now Bickslow?" Lisanna asked.

"Sure thing little lady! Might as well get it over with!" Bickslow snickered.

"L-Lisanna….." Mira whimpered.

Lisanna smiled at her older sister and Cana and jumped off her stool. She linked her arm with Bickslow's and they walked out of the guild hall. Cana and Mira just looked at each other in shock. Had Lisanna gone nuts because Natsu hadn't come back yet? Had she absolutely lost her mind?

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"You guys are almost home. Are you prepared for the celebration that is going to happen once you return?" Jellal asked.

Erza, Jellal, Cobra, Natsu, Ember, and Happy were all on their way to Magnolia, and the Fairy Tail guild hall. The two dragon slayers and Happy had been treated for their injuries and were now on their feet. They still had some pain, and a lot of healing to do, but they were functional and could walk on their own two feet. Happy was flying above the group as they walked. They hadn't walked the entire way, they had taken a boar-drawn carriage most of the way, but now that they were about to enter Magnolia, they traveled on foot.

"I just can't wait to see everyone. I can't wait to see their shocked faces!" Natsu cheered.

"I'm sure they are going to be more excited to see you!" Erza laughed.

"Lucy and Lisanna must be heart broken. When they see your face Natsu, they are going to lose it." Ember giggled.

"Lucy….Lisanna….yeah." Natsu said softly.

He hadn't even considered how hard his disappearance must have been on them. The state they were in when they had to say goodbye to him was bad. He didn't want to think about how much they must be hurting now. He only wanted to think about how happy they would be when they saw him again. The thought of their smiles brought a huge smile to his own face, and he looked up to the sky and took in a huge breath of fresh air.

"They know I will be back. I told them I would be!" Natsu chirped.

"Of course." Jellal smiled, admiring Natsu's attitude.

"Ember. How do you think Laxus has handled all this?" Cobra asked, walking closely to his sister.

"I-I don't know." Ember sighed. Laxus. His face was all she saw when she was unconscious after the battle. She hoped he wasn't in bad shape, but at the same time, she hoped he hadn't moved on from the thought of her either. She knew he was hard shelled. She wouldn't be shocked if she returned home to a Laxus that had moved on from what they had together.

"Why do you look so heart broken?" Cobra gasped, getting defensive.

"Well, I mean. Laxus is a really resilient and tough guy. He has probably moved on by now." Ember sighed.

"That isn't even remotely true. The moving on part." Erza said, smiling at Ember.

"How would you know?" Ember asked, turning to Erza.

"I've talked to someone. Before you guys were brought back to us. Last I knew Laxus hadn't left your room since he got back." Erza smirked.

Ember blushed and smiled. Now she knew how Natsu must be feeling. She didn't want to think about the sadness Laxus had felt over the past few days, but she did want to think about the look on his face when he saw her again.

"Well, you guys are almost home. Ready?" Jellal smiled.

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Freed and Makarov walked into the guild hall at the same time. They hadn't really arrived together, they just happened to arrive at the same moment. Hushed whispers spread through the guild hall at the site of Makarov. He had been pretty scarce and rarely seen since all the wizards returned from their battles. The reappearance of Juvia had brought back some light into his heart, but the fact that Natsu, Ember, and Happy were still missing still weighed heavily on him.

He walked over to the bar, followed by Freed. He took his normal seat on the bar top, and Freed took a seat next to Cana. Makarov noticed that Juvia was awake and back on her feet. She sat at a table with Gray eating lunch. The friends smiled and looked generally happy to be reunited, and this in turn made Makarov happy.

"Glad to see Juvia is on her feet." Freed said as Mira handed him a drink.

"Yes, it's amazing!" Mira smiled.

"Have any of you seen Bickslow?" Freed asked.

"He went out on his date with Lisanna!" Cana laughed.

"What?" Freed and Makarov gasped.

"Why are you so shocked old man? You are the one that is the reason behind it!" Cana said, pointing an accusing finger at Makarov.

"Well….they are an odd couple, aren't they?" Makarov laughed. Mira, Freed and Cana all laughed along.

"That reminds me, don't we have a date to go on Mira?" Freed said, looking at Mira shyly.

"I suppose we do!" Mira smiled brightly, little pink roses appearing on her cheeks.

"Awww how sweet!" Cana swooned, and then fake gagged.

"Don't you have a date with Macao, Cana?" Makarov said, glaring at her.

"Already went on it. We met Baccus out at a local pub and drank the night away!" Cana laughed.

"Baccus." Makarov groaned.

"WIIIILLLDDD!" Cana laughed hysterically. She slurped down her drink.

The doors to the guild hall slammed opened. Makarov immediately looked, thinking an enemy was about to enter his territory. But what he saw before him made his defensive shields go down. He started to shake, and tears fell from his eyes. The entire guild hall was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Mira laughed, it was all she could do. Cana and Freed sat slack jawed.

Standing there, smiles on all their faces, was Jellal, Cobra, Erza, Natsu, and Happy. No one in the guild hall moved. It was as if they didn't know if what was in front of them was real, or only a mirage. Then all at once everyone jumped from their seats and rushed Natsu and Happy, crying, cheering, laughing. Natsu and Happy laughed as their friends couldn't stop hugging them and asking them questions.

"What happened?"

"Where were you guys?"

"You beat a dragon?"

"Are you hurt?"

So many questions, but the answers could wait until later. Natsu just wanted to find Lisanna and Lucy. He needed to let them know that he had returned home. Carla and Pantherlily flew over to Happy and tackled him out of the air. The exceeds cried and laughed together. Wendy and Romeo launched themselves at Natsu and wrapped their arms around him, holding him tight and never wanting to let go.

"Natsu, I am so happy you are back!" Romeo laughed, tears coming out of his eyes.

"I was so worried!" Wendy chirped, wiping the tears from hers.

"I told you all I would be back! What did you have to worry about!" Natsu laughed.

"Natsu. Welcome home." Makarov said, misty eyed and smiling.

"Gramps!" Natsu hooted.

"Wait, Where is Ember?" Cana asked. She had noticed that her friend was not there, and this worried her.

"Oh, don't worry. She went to Laxus. I am sure you will see her later." Erza smiled at Cana. Her, Jella, and Cobra had stood back and let the guild revel in their excitement of Natsu and Happy's return.

"Erza! You finally came back!" Gray cheered.

"Yes. And I am glad to be home." Erza laughed.

"Master Makarov, is it okay if me and Cobra stay for a little while?" Jellal asked politely.

"Of course Jellal. You two have done us a great service. You are always welcome here!" The Master smiled.

"Hey, where are Lucy and Lisanna?" Natsu interrupted. He was taken back by the fact that neither of them were present.

"Lisanna went on her date with Bickslow!" Cana laughed.

"And Lucy hasn't been here at all since the other dragon slayers showed up without you." Mira smiled.

Natsu nodded. He hadn't expected to hear that Lisanna was out on a date with Bickslow. She had been so broken apart by him leaving, and her fear of him not returning. Why was she out on a date? He knew that the dating game had dictated it, but during his disappearance was that really the time? This detail sparked a small flame of anger in his gut. But then he thought of Lucy. She had locked herself at home. He hoped she was alright. He thanked everyone and ran out of the guild hall, Happy flying after him before he was to far to catch up to. Natsu was on his way to Lucy's.

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Knock-knock.

"How many times do I have to tell you jerks to leave me alone?" Laxus yelled at the door.

He laid on Ember's bed, staring up at the ceiling. He was dressed in only a pair of shorts, the same shorts he wore for days. His spiked blonde hair was shaggy and messy, jutting out in all different directions. He could smell the stink of his own unwashed feet, and he crinkled his nose in disgust of himself.

Knock-knock-BANG

"What did I say?" He growled.

He closed his eyes and sighed. Some people just didn't listen. That made him feel angry, which was better than the sadness he had been feeling. So he let himself be angry. He let his muscles tense up and could feel a slight throb in the lightning shaped scar over his right eye.

The door handle started to jiggle. A low growl came from his throat. He would blast whoever came through that door, disrespecting his wanting to be alone. His eyes were still closed and he smirked. Oh well, their funeral.

The handle stopped jiggling, but he heard the door creak open. A few foot steps, the sound of shuffling, the door shutting.

"You know, I expect my door to be answered if I knock on it." A tired voice said.

Laxus's eyes snapped opened. He didn't look. He couldn't. He knew that voice. But he had to be hallucinating. It was like when he saw Ember sitting at the breakfast table smoking a cigarette. His mind was playing tricks with him.

"You're not even going to look at me. This isn't the welcome home I expected. Laxus." The voice said again. A hint of a laugh in there. Her laugh.

Laxus slowly turned his head. His breath left his body, his muscles tightened. He felt as if he was seeing a ghost. He was sure that's what it was. Ember stood there in the center of the room, leaning her scythe against the wall by her coat rack, her torn and battered robe already hanging on it. Her clothes were ripped and shredded exposing her bruised skin. The two blue braids that came down each side of her face were coming undone. Her dark brown hair in messy waves. She was smiling a crooked smile at him. She wasn't disappearing.

He got up off the bed and took a step toward her. Every second that passed he expected her to disappear in front of his eyes. His breathing was shallow and his scar still throbbed. She stood there in front of him, not making any movements to come closer. But she tilted her head as if curious of him. Like a dog would do.

"Ember? Is it….are you real?" He stammered.

"Yes Laxus. I'm home." She smiled.

In one quick movement he lunged at her and took her into his arms, both of them dropping to their knees onto the floor. She wrapped her arms around him, holding on as if her life depended on it. His smell revived her, and made her feel whole again. The oncoming storm. The spark of electricity through the clouds. Tears started to pour down her face in a flood of emotion. Laxus buried his face in her hair. The smell that went up his nose and touched his soul confirmed that he was in fact holding Ember. He was in the middle of the forest after a rain storm. He let all his weakness release itself from his body in the form of joyful tears. He could feel his strength returning.

"I thought you were gone." He gasped.

"I know. But I'm not. I'm sorry I had you worried." Ember smiled, she nuzzled her face into his neck.

"I fucking love you Ember. Don't you ever disappear again." He said through his teeth. She could feel the electricity spark on his skin.

"I won't. I promise."

They sat on the floor in that embrace for what seemed like an eternity. Laxus finally released her and lifted her face to his, so that he could look into her eyes. He leaned his forehead against hers and he smiled. She smiled back, her cheeks turning red. He grabbed her hair in a fist and kissed her hard. So hard she fell backwards and onto her back. While she wanted nothing more than to kiss him, she put her hands on his chest and gently pushed him away. He looked at her confused, his pride hurt.

"Nuh uh. Your feet freaking stink. Go take a shower."

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Lucy got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself. She breathed in the steam that had filled the room from the hot water, and let out a relaxed sigh. The shower had felt wonderful. She had no idea how she had gone so long without taking one. She grabbed her hair brush and brushed the knots out of her hair, and then walked out into the main room. Levy was looking at her with tears in her eyes and a shaky smile on her face. Lucy looked at her confused.

"Levy, what is it?" She asked.

"N-Natsu…." Levy cried.

Lucy just looked at her even more confused. She had no idea what Levy was going on about. She shrugged it off and went over to her writing desk. It had been a long time since she had written one of her letters she wrote to her mom. The ones she never sent, but knew that her mom knew about. One day she would publish a novel in her moms memory. She smiled thinking about it. Lucy couldn't find her pen, so she turned around to ask Levy if she had seen it.

She jumped out of her chair and let out a scream. Sitting in one of her chairs was Natsu, Happy in his lap. His clothes were a mess and he was all dirty. His pink hair was a disaster. The smile on his face lit up the room.

"WHY ARE YOU IN MY HOUSE?" Lucy yelled out of instinct. Then the realization of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks.

Lucy stood there in her towel, her wet hair tied up on top of her head. Her mouth hung opened and her eyes were opened as wide as they had ever been. Her hands shook at her sides and she balled them into fists as the tears began to flow from her face. She ran at Natsu and jumped on his lap, curling up against his warm body and crying into his neck. He wrapped his arms around her and laughed. She grabbed Happy and brought him to her chest, pressing him in between her breasts and Natsu. Happy gasped for breath as she squeezed him. The smell of them, their touch. It was all real. She knew Natsu was coming home, she felt it in her heart.

"Lucy! Calm down! I told you I would be home!" Natsu laughed.

"AYE!" Happy cheered, and then gasped for breath again.

"I-I was so scared. I couldn't live thinking I would never see you again. I just couldn't Natsu." Lucy cried, her body shaking.

"Well you don't have to live without ever seeing me again. I'm right here. And I always will be." Natsu said, still smiling. He hugged her tightly.

"Natsu….." Levy stammered, and she smiled so wide it hurt her face. She ran at the hugging group and wrapped her arms around all of them.

They all laughed. They all cried. The sun was finally breaking free of the clouds for them. Everything was okay. Everyone was home. Fairy Tail's family was back together again. They no longer had to try and live on without their friends by their side, because their friends were right there. And they had been all along.

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Ember and Laxus entered the guild hall, all cleaned up and in fresh clothes. No more messy hair or smelly feet. Nunu walked at their feet. Considering all that had happened, Ember figured that Nunu deserved to be hugged and pet and embraced like everyone else. He had helped in the battle as well. He was Fairy Tail family too.

Cana, Mira, and Evergreen jumped at Ember in a flurry of happy tears and squeals. All the girls fell to the ground in a pile, laughing and hugging. Laxus rolled his eyes and walked over to Jellal and Cobra. Ember had told him everything she knew. He stood in front of the Crime Sorciere men, looking at them with a serious look on his face. Erza was standing close to Jellal, and looked at Laxus with speculation. She never knew what he would say or do. He had the tendency to be unpredictable at times.

Laxus held out his hand to Cobra. Cobra let out a shocked gasp and hesitantly raised his hand to grab Laxus's. Their hands gripped each others, and Laxus squeezed Cobra's tight, bringing it to his chest.

"Thank you. Brother." Laxus said, and then let go of Cobra's hand and walked away towards Master Makarov.

Cobra looked at Jellal and Erza for answers. For some sort of explanation. Or anything really. They just shrugged and laughed at him. He looked to his sister, on the floor surrounded by her friends, laughing and happy. He smiled. He had done something good.

Freed pushed Cana, Mira, and Evergreen out of the way. He reached his hand down to Ember and she grabbed it. He helped her to her feet. As soon as she was up and steady, he grabbed her into a hug. She smiled and hugged him back.

"So glad to see you home safely. Laxus must be so happy." Freed sighed.

"Yeah, I guess he is." Ember laughed. The loyal Freed, always worrying about Laxus.

Ember looked around the guild hall and spotted Juvia, Gray and Wendy. She went over to them and smiled. She had heard about what Juvia had done, and she admired Juvia so much for it. She had risked her body, and her life, to help her friends. To defend what had happened to Gray, her, and the others during the first Bone Crusher battle.

"Juvia. Thank you for taking down Bone Crusher. He deserved it. And you are absolutely amazing." Ember nodded with a smile.

Juvia turned red and smiled back at her shyly. She nodded her thanks to Ember. Gray put his hand on Juvia's shoulder and nodded a thanks to Ember as well. Wendy hugged Ember around her waist, and Ember hugged the tiny girl back. It felt so nice to come home to a family that loved you, and cared about you. Ember couldn't have been any happier to be home.

Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Gajeel, and Levy walked into the guild hall. The atmosphere of everyones celebration and happiness rubbed off on them at once. Happy went and joined Carla and Pantherlily as Levy and Gajeel walked over to a table and sat down next to each other. Natsu and Lucy stood close together, smiling and a general happy air around them.

Lisanna and Bickslow came in shortly after them. Lisanna saw Natsu and let out a huge gasp. Bickslow ran over to Ember and grabbed her in a hug from behind, letting out a creepy laugh. Natsu looked at Lisanna with a smile. Not a big one, not necessarily a happy one. He was happy to see her, but he didn't know how he felt about her going on a date with Bickslow, even if it was only because of dating game. She looked at him, her eyes beginning to water. Lucy looked at Natsu and then walked away. She didn't want to be near their reunion. She didn't want to let herself get angry when she was so excited for Natsu to be home.

"Natsu…." Lisanna said in a low voice.

"Lisanna." He nodded.

"I'm….I'm so happy you are home." She smiled at him. But she didn't run to him for hug. She stood where she was.

"Me too. " Natsu smiled back.

Laxus took a seat next to Makarov. He leaned back on the bar, spreading his arms like wings on top of it. He closed his eyes and cleared his throat. Makarov smiled and looked at his grandson. He was so proud of how much he had grown since he had snapped and made Fairy Tail fight each other and he was forced to exile him. He had grown into an admirable and strong young man.

"I'm sorry for how I yelled at you old man." Laxus said.

"No. I'm sorry you ever had to go through what you did." Makarov nodded.

"Thanks. Gramps." Laxus smiled.

The wizards of Fairy Tail were in high spirits again. Positive energy flowed throughout the guild hall freely. The day was young and the night long. The celebration of their victories over Bone Crusher and an Earth dragon, and the return of their missing friends, would carry on well until the next day. Macao would even be letting Romeo stay instead of sending him home when it got too late. Wakaba would not be going home to his wife tonight. Hearing of the dragon slayers return, Sting and Rogue of Sabertooth had stopped by, with their exceeds Lector and Frosch. The two exceeds joined the Fairy Tail cats, and Sting and Rogue made their rounds congratulating everyone and welcoming them home.

Lucy and Natsu sat at a table with Gray and Juvia, and were shortly joined by Levy and Gajeel. The fire dragon and iron dragon bickered, but then Gray stepped in and it was a battle of fire and ice as usual. The girls all laughed and made jokes at their expense. It was as if Natsu and Juvia had never even been gone.

The drinks flowed freely at the bar. Cana and Freed toasted to Ember's return as Cobra stood with his arm around his sister. Jellal and Erza sat close together and celebrated with their friends. Evergreen hooted and hollered with a drink in her hand on top of Elfman's shoulders. She was letting go of all the pain she had been feeling, not only in her body but in her heart. Lisanna had joined them and was getting on well with Bickslow, hinting to everyone that their date had gone much better than anyone could have expected. They seemed to be friends. Mira smiled and cheered, even drinking herself. Ember looked down the bar and her eyes met with Laxus's, they smiled at each other.

Makarov knocked his walking stick onto the bar, sending an echoe through the guild hall. He waiting until his children calmed down and averted their attention to him before he began to speak.

"I have here a letter from the Magic Council." He said holding up a piece of paper. "They want some sort of payment for the damage to Mount Florencia. Apparently the citizens in the town at the base of the mountain are not to happy about it's destruction. Natsu and Ember, you bring me headaches. How am I going to deal with two destruction children? Oh well. Good riddance."

Makarov held the piece of paper in the air and Laxus brought a bolt of lightning down onto it. It burst in yellow light and then burned up in flames. Everyone laughed and cheered.

"Anyways. Here we are children. All of my children. We as a guild have gone through a lot lately. We gained a new member and it didn't start off well. There was a lot of bickering and negativity. But we got past it. We battled formidable enemies, and suffered horrible injuries. But we prevailed. Fairy Tail won, as we always do. I see before me a family, a family closer than any other. Partnerships and relationships that have formed in the most dire conditions. Sometimes unexpected. I see before me all my children, ready as always to fight for their family, and what they believe in. Giving everything they have no matter what it takes. I have seen the pain you all suffered, the tears we have all shed, and those things weigh heavy on my heart. But here we are, together again. No more tears, no more pain. We will always pull through the dark, no matter how deep in it we get. We will always prevail! Because we are Fairy Tail!"

The entire guild hall erupted into screams, cheers, laughs, and chanting. Friends clinked their glasses together, drinks spilling onto the floor. Small magic battles erupted in the excitement, causing the average day to day damage Fairy Tail was used to. The hugs were many, and the love was strong.

Ember walked over to Laxus and he put his arm around her pulling her close. Makarov smiled giddily at the both of them, and they laughed. Ember had come to Fairy Tail after being alone for so long. She had struggled to make friends, to fit in. She hid her true self and held herself back. But it was all different now. She embraced who she was, and enjoyed the relationships she now had. For the first time in her life she was really happy. She finally had friends and a family to be proud of. To fight for. To live for. She was finally home. And she couldn't wait to continue her adventures with Fairy Tail.

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**Thank you everyone for reading! I hope you liked it. I plan on writing more Fairy Tail adventures with Ember, Laxus, Natsu, Lucy, and everyone else. :D**


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